Tainted Histories and Better Beginnings, a naruto fanfic

Konnichi wa!

Okay, first things first – THIS IS LONGER THAN I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE!

Which is why I called it the longest one shot on the face of the earth.

Because it is.

I didn't have any real reason for writing this. Just that inspiration comes at the most awkward of times.

No lemons, lots of fluff. You've gotta adore fluff! Thanks Haku! –waves to Fluff Muse-

Well, I hope you enjoy it!

Longest One Shot on the Face of the Earth

Tainted Histories and Better Beginnings

"Kakashi isn't here?"

Molten black eyes blinked in mild surprise. Tsunade nodded, affirming the question.

"Yes – he's on a serious mission and won't be back for a good six months. "

"You sent me on an extremely long mission to Sound as well," the other commented blankly, legs and arms crossed and eyes ever searching. "Is there no way to speed up his mission?"

Tsunade smirked as she surveyed the other before her.

"I know you worry greatly about Kakashi – you're attracted to him after all – but there's nothing we can do about it."

"And what about my Estates?" The other demanded, slightly irked now, his shoulders slightly tensing. Tsunade's face turned grim – the last thing she wanted to do was tell him THIS little tidbit of information.

"The place was getting old and starting to fall apart – the village elders decided to destroy it to make room for better housing."

A chair-back slammed onto the floor as the other leaped up.

"WHAT –?"

"SO," Tsunade interrupted loudly, shooting the other a look that made him – grumbling but compliant – sit down. "Seeing as how the entire nation still thinks you betrayed us, I'm putting your old Academy teacher – Iruka Omino – in charge of you."

"Why do I have to go under false house arrest?" The other demanded angrily, bristling. Tsunade raised an eyebrow.

"Because the village is still suspicious of you, and having you under house arrest will ease them," she replied simply, giving him a glare that dared him to disagree. He didn't. "You'll be with him for six months."

The other cocked his head.

"Or until Kakashi gets back?" He asked, standing. Fighting down a smirk, Tsunade nodded.

"That's right. Iruka will pick you up." The other turned to leave. "Oh, and one more thing." He turned to look at her. Tsunade's gaze turned hard. "Kakashi was able to move on after you abandoned him. He's seeing Iruka now."

Shock and anger flashed across midnight orbs.

YOU'RE the one who ordered me to go, you BITCH –

Tsunade's next words were dangerous and threatening.

"Don't you DARE TOUCH that teacher, Uchiha."

Iruka nervously smoothed the creases in his clothes as he waited for the Uchiha to appear. The knowledge that he was back after five years of being a traitor had spread through the village like wildfire, throwing the entire place into uproar. Iruka had also heard that the Uchiha and Kakashi had had a relationship before the boy had left for Sound, and he had been warned repeatedly by other ninja to keep his guard up.

"He probably still has feelings for Kakashi,"they all had said. "If he realizes Kakashi is seeing you now, he might try to seriously hurt you! Please be careful, Iruka-san. Keep your guard up at all times – the Uchiha is powerful – and has an awful temper to go with it!"

Don't worry, you guys. Iruka thought grimly. I don't plan on taking it down for a second. I want to live to see Kakashi come home.

Dammit, he missed that Jounin.

Kakashi, please be safe…

The door he was standing by suddenly slammed open, startling him and making him jump. So much for keeping his guard up.

Blinking, he leaned forward so he could see inside the doorway, praying his head wouldn't get blown off.

He saw the last remaining Uchiha for the first time in five years.

And his first instinct was to run away.

Oh God these six months are going to be hard –

Sasuke looked absolutely livid, his fist clenched around the hilt of his single katana and a murderous aura flowing from every inch of his body. Long black hair stretched to the small of his back, and tight black pants covered the product of five years of grueling training – the curve of well-sculpted legs was visible even beneath the dark material. Lithe arms carried powerful muscles underneath pale skin as the limbs shifted and flexed. The eyes – tinged with red – shot out wicked spitfire, and the Academy teacher could tell the other was restraining from tearing out his heart and making him choke on it.

The next thought that flashed through Iruka's mind, though, dismissed all of that.

Gods, but he's pretty.

Then he had to remind himself that he was dating Kakashi, and that was the reason Sasuke was glaring at him with all the power his possessed – the teacher could have sworn he felt his skin melting at the heat of the glare.

Awkwardly clearing his throat, Iruka shifted his feet and smiled nervously.

"Uh, well… ohayo, Sasuke-kun," he greeted the other.

You idiot, what're you talking about – it's AFTERNOON damn it all –

"It's good to see you back."

Sasuke had to fight against the powerful urge to tear the older man apart limb from limb with a well-placed Chidori.

Patience Sasuke PATIENCE –

"Umino," he replied crisply – dismissively – as he walked passed Iruka, making the older man wince.

Oh. Last name basis. Yep – definitely hates me. With luck, I'll get out of these six months with most of my limbs still attached.

KAKASHI, YOU BETTER GET BACK SOON!

"Umm… my apartment is very close – just keep going straight and turn left after you cross the bridge."

A small 'hmph' told him Sasuke had heard, and he sighed as he followed the Uchiha, becoming the other's shadow when they made their way into the streets.

Yells immediately erupted once the public laid eyes on the Uchiha, and Iruka shrank closer to his old student.

Sasuke shot him a cold, angry stare.

"I can take care of myself, Umino," he snapped impatiently. Iruka – gaining more confidence when he realized Sasuke wasn't going to tear his throat from his shoulders no matter how much he would like to – gave Sasuke a small, warm smile.

"I'm well aware, Sasuke-kun," he replied sweetly.

Shooting him another glare, Sasuke looked away, pointedly ignoring the yells and jeers, walking with a proud stride with his chin defiantly raised.

Iruka had to applaud him for being untouched by so many insults – none of which modest Iruka would care to repeat.

Sasuke walked proudly through the busy streets, chin held high with a confident air that could only belong to an Uchiha and an Uchiha alone.

Ignore them they don't know any better just pretend they're not there –

"Hey Uchiha! Heard you were sharin' a bed with Hatake before you left! What happened? You're not seeing him anymore, huh? Heh – good! After all, who would fuck someone like you –?"

Oh, PLENTY of people, you stupid man. Sasuke thought dryly, keeping his face decidedly blank.

"I mean, he's a good guy 'n all, but if he was having sex with YOU, then he MUST be damaged goods –"

Sasuke's eyes snapped open, the insult flashing through his mind and making his eyes immediately bleed red with rage.

Before anyone could blink, Sasuke had fisted the front of the man's collar with one hand and had slammed him against the nearest wall, making the populace scatter as he locked eyes with the man, Sharingan ablaze.

Iruka gasped, his body temporarily frozen in shock.

Oh Heavens he moved so fast –

"Sasuke-kun!"

"Would you like to try saying that about Kakashi one more time?" Sasuke asked sweetly – icy with a raging fire underneath the cold – tightening his grip on the man's shirt and making him gasp. "Really – go on – I dare you." Sasuke's voice became decidedly more threatening and sinister as he stared up into the man's terrified eyes, dragging the other upwards until his feet were completely off the ground. "Make a note of this, fool. Badmouth me all you like, but I won't STAND for any insults on Kakashi's part – you understand?" His grip tightened even more – to the point where the man had to gasp to breathe. "Say one more thing degrading about him and I'll tear out your heart and smile as I watch you choke on it – UNDERSTAND?"

Gulping, the man nodded, cold sweat sliding off his face.

Iruka finally had the sense to run forward to stop Sasuke before he actually killed someone, berating himself for freezing like an idiot. He set his hand on Sasuke's outstretched arm – the one pinning the civilian to the wall.

"He understands now, Sasuke-kun," he breathed to the teen. "Please release him."

"Release him Sasuke. That's enough."

Sasuke's eyes widened as Kakashi's voice flashed through his mind at Iruka's words in the form of a short flashback.

Fingers shaking, he let go of the man, numbly staring at the wall for a split second before he turned his head and gave the older ninja a heated glare before spinning on his heel and storming away. Frantic, Iruka ran after him.

"Ah! Please wait, Sasuke-kun!"

Three weeks had passed, and there was still tense, foreboding silence whenever the two were in a room together – where Iruka was silently sweating even in the chill that always arrived with the Uchiha, and where the said Uchiha blatantly ignored him, knowing that if he didn't he might not be able to follow up on Tsunade's orders to keep his vengeful hands off the Chunin. Sasuke had preferred during this time to simply shut himself up in the guest room and brood all day, coming out only to eat and relieve himself at sporadic times when Iruka was either sleeping or using the bathroom or reading – anything to stop him from spending any time with the Academy teacher.

Iruka looked up from his book after the air around him grew warmer to see Sasuke's sweeping black hair vanish into a door down the hallway adjacent to the living room – after the boy had eaten lunch when the teacher was too wrapped up in his novel to notice. He sighed.

This has GOT to stop.

Though he knew that Sasuke had orders not to lay a finger on him, and that the Uchiha wanted above all else to tear open his abdomen and gleefully choke him with his own intestines – that fact didn't stop the compassionate teacher from wanting to speak with the teen. He hated awkward silences with a passion, and he was sure that if he and Sasuke just talked about what was grating on the Uchiha's nerves – which, in truth, was really just fucking obvious – they would come to some sort of understanding. Despite being foul-tempered and sadistic and vulgar and a billion other unpleasant things that the Academy teacher really didn't want to talk about, Iruka knew the Sasuke knew how to reason as well – the boy was actually pretty fucking smart when he bothered to be.

In truth, he just wanted to play therapist and figure out the Uchiha's problems – he knew himself well enough to admit that – but at the same time, he wanted to understand Sasuke because he hated uncertainty almost as much as he hated awkward silences.

And understanding could only be reached by communication.

With a sigh, he set his book down on the coffee table.

Well, here goes.

Fighting to keep his feet from dragging on the wooden floor – he was doing this because he wanted to, after all (well, at least that's what he kept telling himself) – Iruka made his way over to the Uchiha's room, unconsciously smoothing out his clothes and swallowing. Steeling himself for an attack that might or might not come, he raised his fist and knocked gently on the wood before turning the knob and opening the door the barest few inches – enough to get the top of his head and one eye through the doorway and into the room.

"Hello, Sasuke-kun," he greeted the teen, who was sitting at the desk and just staring at the wall, fingers laced underneath his chin like he used to do in the Academy with the katana on the desk directly underneath his jaw line. Iruka fought to keep his voice light as Sasuke shot him a look – one that obviously demanded, "What the FUCK are you doing here?" "Uh…" Frantically, the Academy teacher searched for something to give him a firm reason on why he intruded upon the Uchiha – a teen who was notorious for lashing out at ANYONE who intruded upon his privacy – and came up with nothing.

He didn't need to – Sasuke, strangely, spoke first.

"What do you know of the reasons why I left Konoha?"

The question was sharp – crisp and precise. It left Iruka blinking dumbly for a moment – he didn't label Sasuke as the type to start a conversation.

"Uh, well, very little, actually…"

It was REALLY uncomfortable to talk with his lips smashed against the wood of the door.

Sasuke – obviously realizing this the way he shot Iruka a disgusted look – jerked his head towards the window opposite of the door, motioning for the teacher to come in.

Quietly – as if entering too loudly would snap Sasuke out of his somewhat peaceful mood – Iruka entered Sasuke's room, noting the scarce decorations, and what decorative items were there, they were dark colored and – from what Iruka could see in that quick glance around – could easily be turned into a weapon.

Awkward, Iruka stood in the middle of the room, fingers laced in front of him and fighting to keep from fidgeting.

I can't help but think I'm in the heart of the enemy…

No Iruka! Patience! Must – communicate – with – Sasuke…

He found his thoughts breaking up and leaving his mind blank as said Sasuke fixed him with an annoyed stare.

"You CAN sit down, you know," the Uchiha snapped, obviously irked.

Iruka didn't see anywhere to sit other than the bed, which was right next to the desk Sasuke was sitting at. But – afraid he might make the Uchiha angry, if he wasn't already – he didn't voice a word of his nervousness. Quickly, but not TOO quickly, he sat down on the edge of the bed, as far away from Sasuke as he could manage without seeming rude. If the Uchiha realized what was going through the teacher's mind –

– which, after all, he probably did. The Academy teacher's face was a damned book, after all –

– he didn't show it. Instead, he turned in his chair to face Iruka, legs snuggly crossed and the chair's wooden back pressing at his right shoulder, his body facing the bed. His head was turned, surveying the teacher with slight annoyance, but nothing deadly. Iruka began to breathe easier.

There was a silence for a moment – awkward on Iruka's end, and expectant on Sasuke's. The teacher fought against stuttering out an apology to the Uchiha and running out the door as if the devil were chasing at his heels – he had come too far to turn back now, no matter how much the logical – and shamefully, cowardly – part of him shrieked to make himself scarce.

Just grit your teeth and talk to him – you can do it, Iruka!

"Well?" The Uchiha asked, arms crossed along with his legs. "What do you know of my reasons?"

Iruka cleared his throat and began to speak, silently patting himself on the back for keeping his voice steady.

"Well, I know mostly what Kakashi told me –"

He knew instantly saying the Jounin's name was a bad idea, judging by the way Sasuke's shoulders tensed up and his eyes shot spitfire for one moment, but he continued on, frantic to try and get to the point before the Uchiha decided to break the Hokage's rule of keeping his bloodthirsty hands off the teacher.

"Like, how you left because the Sound Four made you 'realize you were weak', or something like that, and to get power so you could get revenge on your brother, because you thought you could never get the power you needed here, and that you felt threatened because Naruto – the 'village idiot', you said – was starting to surpass you, and you felt threatened and so you left –"

"Those are all logical reasons on why I would leave," Sasuke coolly interrupted, cutting Iruka's ramblings short. His left arm was resting on the desk beside him, his right hand draped across his crossed thighs in a relaxed yet tense position – one that was ready to lash out in a moment's notice if need be. His katana – newly sharpened, Iruka noticed with a weak stomach, already feeling his intestines being yanked out of his torso – lay within easy reach by his left elbow. Iruka kept his fingers laced in his lap, shoulders tense and trying not to shake. "However, none of them are the truth."

Iruka's eyes widened.

"T-truly? But, Tsunade-sama said –"

"It needed to be top secret," Sasuke snapped, eyes flashing warningly.

"Don't QUESTION me, damn you –"

Iruka – wisely – kept silent. The Uchiha continued to speak, eyes closed as he entered something the ninja world had come to know as his 'explanation mode'. Sasuke radiated an aura of superiority as he spoke.

"Tsunade told the village that I had betrayed it for those reasons because it would completely fool the enemy," he began. "In truth, I had no intention to go to Sound – Orochimaru and his quest for immortality sickened me – and though I was a child, I had enough sense to know that I would just be used, and that I would probably gain no power anyway. Tsunade, however, saw the advantage she had in Orochimaru's interest in me, so she assigned me an S-ranked mission."

Iruka's eyes bulged.

"She gave a Genin an S-ranked mission –?"

"Pipe down!" The Uchiha snapped, arms crossed once more in annoyance. "The mission HAD to be S-ranked – I would be infiltrating a Sannin's headquarters – that's about the most dangerous you could get. And Orochimaru isn't the type to show mercy, even on someone he would use as his future body. Tsunade gave me five and a half years to find out every secret I could about the organization and destroy it from the inside out. It was required that no one besides myself and Tsunade would know, lest the word got out and Orochimaru alerted to the fact that I might be a spy."

Iruka took his time in registering this, vaguely thinking that this is the most Sasuke had talked in the three weeks he had been in his apartment.

"So…" he looked up to lock eyes with the Uchiha. "The battle with Naruto at the Valley of End – that was planned?"

Sasuke's eyes flashed – but not with anger or annoyance. His voice was cold – cautious – as he replied.

"It was…" he replied slowly. "And at the same time, it wasn't. Tsunade hadn't planned for me and Naruto to do battle, but at the same time, she ordered me specifically not to kill any of Konoha's ninjas. I had to make it as realistic as possible – in order to assure Orochimaru I had truly turned rogue. In fact…" He leaned back against the desk, now fully facing Iruka with the chair back in front of him now. He set his elbows on the desk behind him, legs still crossed over the side of the chair's cushion, his right knee pressing against the lower left corner of the chair's wooden back. The sparkle in his eyes and the smirk on his lips told Iruka he was truly proud of whatever he was about to say. "If the bulk of the Chidori had hit him two millimeters more to the left, he would have died on the spot. THAT would definitely assure Orochimaru of my betrayal, now wouldn't it?"

Iruka fought the rage building in his stomach at the fact that the teen before him was actually PROUD of sending a Chidori through his best friend's chest –

No, he doesn't mean that, Iruka. He means that he's proud his aim was so accurate – he gave no hint that he enjoyed nearly killing Naruto – don't make false accusations!

"No one else knows?"

Sasuke's reply was immediate.

"No one – I got permission from Tsunade to tell YOU, but other than that, no one is allowed to know for some time now."

Iruka nodded.

"I see."

There was silence between them for a moment. Iruka was looking down at his intertwined fingers, and Sasuke was gazing at him, his expression unreadable.

"And, no, for your information, the night when I told Kakashi I was leaving didn't go as I planned."

Iruka's eyes widened and his head shot up, his shocked brown eyes locking with Sasuke's own black ones. The Uchiha's voice was icy, his eyes narrowed and cold but with a fire of all-consuming rage beneath that thin film of ice. His upper lip was curled up in a small sneer as he continued, voice bitter.

"That's the only reason he EVER got together with you."

"Because if it HAD gone according to plan, Kakashi would've waited until death for me!"

The unsaid words struck Iruka's heart as if they had been daggers. Sasuke's eyes shot spitfire, his entire body tense.

"Now get out."

Iruka fled.

The teacher sat at his dinner table a few minutes later, refusing to admit that Sasuke's words had hurt him.

Kakashi loves me Kakashi loves me Kakashi loves me –

But now the sureness that came with that love had been shaken at its core, and Iruka felt his entire body begin to shake. Fighting from weeping, he cradled his head in his hands.

I know he does.

…

Right?

Silent, Sasuke watched Iruka from the hallway, leaning against the wall to the right of his door with arms and ankles crossed, his head turned only slightly to watch the older man break down.

The sadistic side of him loved the way Iruka's shoulders were shaking, and it loved to hear the barely audible sobs – dry though they were – escape the Chunin's small frame. It loved the way Iruka hopelessly held his head in his hands, and that side of Sasuke knew that the Chunin was second-guessing Kakashi's love for him, which made watching his suffering all the more enjoyable.

Then the immature part of him laughed at Iruka, linking hands with the sadistic side and chanting silently at Iruka, "Kakashi doesn't love you Kakashi doesn't love you!"

The wise side of him sighed and shook its head, looking on in sympathy at Iruka, reminding the other parts that they knew how it felt to feel so utterly betrayed, and that no one deserved to feel that way.

The smart part of him stated that he had acted wrongly out of childish jealousy – something that he thought he was above – and that it wasn't Iruka's fault that Kakashi had gotten over him and had fallen for someone else, and that he should be happy that Kakashi had finally healed and had found someone else that really cherished the Jounin.

But then the childish part of him screamed to the smart part, "But Kakashi is MINE!"

Fuck. If he WAS mine, I would've stayed with him.

"But it wasn't your choice! That bitch Tsunade sent you on that mission! You HAD to go!"

Sasuke didn't reply to that childish side of him, looking on at Iruka with furrowed eyebrows and narrowed eyes, mouth slightly open. If the Chunin had looked up just then, he would have seen the regret in Sasuke's eyes – if only for a split second – before it vanished again, replaced with that mask of cold indifference.

"You know the only reason that Kakashi ever managed to get over you was because you guys ended up arguing the day you left! And if either of you hadn't said those awful things, Kakashi would've waited for you until he died!"

Yes. But it was both our faults. Iruka has nothing to do with what happened all those years ago.

"Yes he does! Hurt him! Make his life miserable! He deserves it!"

The sadistic side piped up, smirking at the childish side.

"Heheh – I like you."

Then his smart part intervened.

"YOU shut up!"

It then began to flame the sadistic side with a flamethrower until it yelped and ran away, ass ablaze. Sasuke sighed, aware that all of this was happening in his mind.

Damn it – maybe I should check to see if I have schizophrenia – with all these different parts of me, I wouldn't be surprised.

Then he opened his eyes and looked at Iruka again, who hadn't shifted from his position at the table. He turned to go back into his room.

It would be better off for both of us if I didn't do anything like that again.

He vanished inside his room.

I've already hurt him as much as I need to.

Two days passed before they crossed paths again. Iruka had entered the main room to see Sasuke at the stove, cooking something in a large pot.

Iruka blinked, the Uchiha's words still echoing in his mind.

"Uh… Sasuke-kun?"

The other turned his head to look at him, eyes half-closed and carefully uninterested. Iruka coughed and awkwardly cleared his throat.

"Uh… what are you doing?"

Sasuke blinked at him before turning back to the pot.

"I've heard from around that neither you nor Kakashi are good cooks."

Iruka searched for some sort of bitterness or anger, but found none. Sasuke was merely stating a fact, his voice devoid of emotion. The older ninja cocked his head in silent question.

"Yes, well, you've heard right," he said.

The Uchiha gave a derisive snort, still facing the stove.

"Don't you get sick of living on take out?" He asked over his shoulder.

Iruka managed to laugh.

"Well, I don't have anything particular against it. But, yes, sometimes I wish I could cook."

Sasuke looked over his shoulder to merely look at him before shaking his head and rolling his eyes, turning back to the pot.

"Both you and Kakashi are completely hopeless," he stated, reaching for the knobs to fiddle with the heat of the stove. Before Iruka could say anything, Sasuke beat him to it, firing a command over his shoulder. "Sit down."

Iruka glanced to the table beside him, and then looked back to the Uchiha. Sasuke remained silent, so the Chunin stiffly complied, fidgeting in the chair and wondering what the Uchiha was doing.

They were silent as Sasuke worked in the kitchen, pulling various vegetables out of the refrigerator and chopping them up, making an elaborate plate of multicolored veggies. He did the same with fruits.

Iruka cocked his head again, realizing that the refrigerator had been empty the day before.

"Did Sakura do some shopping for you?"

The Chunin didn't see it, but Sasuke smirked.

"Yes. I was getting tired of opening the fridge to find nothing but frozen dinners. Have you never had something homemade?"

Iruka chuckled sheepishly.

"No. I never really learned how to cook."

Sasuke shook his head, and Iruka knew the teen was rolling his eyes.

"You of ALL people were the last person I expected to not know how to cook. I mean, even NARUTO knows the basics, and he's an idiot."

Iruka gave a true laugh, flattered at the subtle statement that no, Sasuke didn't think he was an idiot.

A few minutes passed, and Sasuke checked the pot again before going over to the cabinets and taking out the plates. He stared at the gray plates, eyes wide with disgust. Iruka smiled grimly, knowing why the Uchiha had tensed.

"I don't believe you – THESE PLATES HAVE DUST ON THEM!"

He turned to glare at Iruka, who laughed nervously and shrugged.

Glaring at the older ninja for one moment longer, Sasuke stormed to the sink and furiously washed each dish, afterwards going to another cabinet for the glasses. ("FUCK YOU! EVEN THE GLASSES ARE DUSTY! WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU DRINK OUT OF?" "Heheh… soda cans?" "ARGH!")

The silverware was the only thing that wasn't covered in dust, and Iruka thanked God for that, because if it had been dusty, he was sure Sasuke would have thrown all of the knifes and forks at him, exclaiming senselessly about how Iruka was supposed to be dead because it seemed like he never ate anything.

In truth, Iruka was flattered as Sasuke set the table for two, placing multiple dishes of fruits and vegetables and bread down on the table before turning back to the kitchen. This was the most sociable Sasuke had been in those weeks he had been there, and then a thought passed through the Chunin's mind as Sasuke set down a large bowl of – it looked like stew – in front of him, then setting a smaller one down for himself.

Is this… Sasuke's way of apologizing?

Iruka smiled broadly at the Uchiha, who flushed and glared at the older ninja, because of course he wasn't trying to apologize – he didn't regret hurting the Chunin, of course not.

Both of them knew he would be lying if he said so.

After Sasuke sat down and they both said a prayer, Iruka looked down at the stew in front of them.

"So what kind of stew is this, Sasuke?" He asked. Sasuke gave him a dry look.

"It's not stew," he replied. Iruka blinked.

"It's not? But – then – what –?"

"It's gumbo," the Uchiha cut him off, elbow on the table with his palm holding his chin. "Don't ask. Just try it."

Iruka blinked and shrugged, dipping his spoon into the gumbo and tasting it.

He gasped as his jaw dropped.

"This… this is…" He was sure his face had turned red. "THIS IS FANTASTIC!"

Sasuke smirked and chuckled, obviously used to this reaction.

Iruka had to fight against the urge to just drop his spoon and gulp it all down – he had never tasted such a glorious dish before – but he fought it off, reminding himself that the food wasn't going anywhere, and slowly ate, savoring the taste.

A large array of seafood and vegetables floated in the broth – Iruka could see crab meat, shrimp, large chunks of fish that absolutely melted in his mouth – along with onions, celery, little bits of carrots, tiny slices of okra, and carefully cut squares of potato, all blended with a wonderful array of spices. When he found a leaf in the gumbo, however, he stopped and looked up at Sasuke.

"Why is this leaf in the gumbo, Sasuke-kun?" He asked. Sasuke looked up from his own bowl, blinking for a moment before he answered.

"Oh, that's a special kind of leaf. It's brewed along with the gumbo in order to give the food a specific flavor. It's not meant to be eaten."

Iruka laughed and set the leaf aside. He saw that there were a few bits and pieces of leafs on the rim of Sasuke's bowl as well. Reaching over, he took some bread from a pile that Sasuke had sliced (he could tell it was freshly made by the Uchiha himself) and nibbled at it, smiling.

He expected there to be a long, awkward silence as they ate, but – surprisingly – there was nothing awkward about it. The food was just too good for there to be any sort of tension in the air, and Iruka relished in it. They were silent as they ate, both wrapped in their own thoughts. Iruka wondered if perhaps he should start off a conversation, but – after a few moments of thought – decided against it. It was flattering – and shocking – enough that Sasuke had actually fixed food for him and was eating peacefully on the opposite side of the table. The Chunin realized that perhaps talking was too much to ask for right then. It was nice that Sasuke was willing to make up for what he had done, and nothing could make the older ninja happier.

Iruka cleaned his bowl and felt at ease enough to ask for seconds, where Sasuke took his bowl from the table and went to the kitchen, filling it to the brim with the delicious food before returning it to the Chunin. For desert, Iruka feasted on the crisp, fresh melon and honeydew slices, along with strawberries, grapes and cherries that Sasuke had mixed in a bowl.

For some reason, Iruka couldn't stop smiling, and when he glanced Sasuke's way, he thought – for one moment – the Uchiha had a small smile on his face as well.

Afterwards, Sasuke forced Iruka to wash the dishes ("You need to learn how to live, DAMN you!") while the Uchiha dried. The Chunin had laughed heartily at how utterly hopeless he was at washing dishes while Sasuke raged at him and glared, turning a slight shade of pink at how easy they managed to get along, despite the multiple insults Sasuke threw Iruka's way, "Dammit, you're absolutely HOPELESS!" being a favorite of his.

After each dish had been washed by novice hands and dried by expert ones, Sasuke told Iruka that – from now on – he was going to learn how to cook.

The Chunin flushed at that, but then he smiled at the furious Uchiha.

"I'm happy that you're so worried about me, Sasuke-kun."

Then it was Sasuke's turn to go pink.

"That's not the reason! You're a ninja – dammit! You need to be healthy in order to be at your best! And you certainly can't be at your best if you keep eating all that greasy take out crap! I'm surprised you're still as thin as you are! Do you KNOW how much cholesterol and calories and carbohydrates that shit has? You're killing yourself every time you eat that disgusting crap –!"

"Thank you very much, Sasuke-kun," Iruka cut in sweetly as Sasuke continued to rant about the unhealthiness of take out, something he seemed very passionate about. "I look forward to your lessons – I'm sure you have a lot to teach me."

Sasuke crossed his arms and glared at the Chunin, his lip curled in a small sneer.

"Damn right, I do," he muttered before turning on his heel and storming down the hall. Iruka blinked.

"Sasuke-kun!" He called after the other. The Uchiha turned to look back at him. Iruka smiled. "Thank you very much for the food – it was absolutely delicious! I…" His smile became gentle, "…enjoyed it."

"I enjoyed eating with you, and everything's okay now."

Sasuke blinked, picking up the silent words, and Iruka could've sworn he saw a pleased pink flush on the Uchiha's cheeks before the other whirled and vanished inside his room.

The fact that the door didn't slam at his passing and the expression that had been on Sasuke's face was as good as a 'You're welcome' as anything.

The first lesson was how to use the kitchenware. Iruka had to memorize every kitchen utensil in his apartment, along with one simple recipe to go with each. Sasuke gave him two days to memorize the five sheets of paper, and afterwards, the Uchiha allowed him to use the recipes as a guide while he made scrambled eggs, but he wasn't able to refer to the notes on how to light the propane stove or use a spatula. Sasuke watched him carefully to make sure he scrambled the eggs correctly with a whisk before leaving the room for under one minute to answer the door, which happened to be rung by the paperboy.

The result was the kitchen bursting into flames, the smoke detector going off, and the door being slammed in the paperboy's face.

Sasuke managed to put out the fire with his Chakra before any serious damage was done, but after throwing a steel rolling pin at the ringing, obnoxious smoke alarm and breaking it into pieces, he rounded on Iruka. ("DAMMIT WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU? I TURN MY BACK FOR LESS THAN A MINUTE AND YOU SEND THE ENTIRE APARTMENT UP IN FLAMES? WHAT THE HELL IS YOUR PROBLEM?") He continued to rage until the neighbors from all sides went to the door in unison and knocked, shouting at the Uchiha to shut up without knowing it was an Uchiha they were talking to. Iruka – thankfully – answered the door before Sasuke could wrench it off its hinges and told the people that, yes, his friend would quiet down. The Chunin was sure that the only thing that kept Sasuke from wringing his neck out of pure frustration was the fact that Tsunade had told the Uchiha not to touch him.

That night, Sasuke made Iruka make scrambled eggs nonstop until the pan wasn't covered in egg that had stuck to it because the Chunin had forgot to spray it with nonstick cooking spray, the eggs weren't burned to a crisp because the stove was too hot or were overly runny because of too much water, the spatula didn't snap in two when Iruka poorly attempted to flip the eggs to cook them on their other side, and the fire department wasn't notified because of a huge mushroom cloud of flame erupting from the stove made a neighbor call the police. Iruka was proud to say that he succeeded in making scrambled eggs to Sasuke's strict standards by four o'clock in the morning. By then, Sasuke was furious. ("I'VE NEVER SEEN A PERSON SO HOPELESS WITH MAKING EGGS! EGGS! WHAT THE FUCK IS SO HARD ABOUT EGGS?")

Iruka, however, was smiling brilliantly, showing Sasuke his – if not perfect, at least moderately edible – eggs.

Frustrated, exhausted and hair a complete mess, Sasuke dismissed Iruka for the day, tiredly heading for his own room while the Chunin happily ate the first meal he made for himself. He didn't care that they tasted absolutely horrible – way too salty and tough – HE was the one that made them, and that's what mattered.

Sasuke awoke at precisely two o'clock the next day, and the first thing he did upon waking up and making himself presentable was make pancakes and sausage. Iruka asked him why he wasn't making eggs, and thus Sasuke – temporarily forgetting Tsunade's rule – threw a frying pan at him – the same frying pan Iruka had used to try and make eggs the night before. ("FUCK YOU! I'VE HAD ENOUGH OF FUCKING EGGS TO LAST ME A YEAR!")

Well, Iruka thought vaguely as he munched on Sasuke's fluffy and perfect pancakes, the Uchiha glaring at him from across the table. At least it wasn't a lifetime.

After breakfast, Sasuke went through the Chunin's pots and pans, surveying them with a critical eye and then tossing them out the open window in an endless wave. ("We're getting you nonstick stainless steel – this iron crap is completely useless!") Iruka heard shouts and curses from below as kitchenware that seemed to fall from the sky hit the people walking beneath on the head, but Sasuke took no notice. After the raid, the Uchiha told him that maybe eggs – however easy they were – were too hard for a mindless, hopeless fool such as the Chunin, so the Uchiha had decided that Iruka would attempt to make rice.

Sasuke then started looking for a rice cooker.

And couldn't find one.

Nearly all of Konoha could hear his seething roar.

"YOU DON'T HAVE A FUCKING RICE COOKER?"

Sasuke then – ignoring Tsunade's rule once more – grabbed Iruka by the ear, snatched up his wallet, and proceeded to drag the Chunin out of the house.

Though the Uchiha was supposed to be on house arrest, the ninja watching the house surveyed Sasuke and Iruka, watching how the smaller teen berated the older man and lectured him about the proper kitchenware. Iruka merely stared idly down at the other, a goofy grin on his face, causing the other to seethe in rage. ("DAMN YOU! ARE YOU EVEN LISTENING TO ME?")

The Anbu smiled from behind his mask but did nothing to alert the Hokage.

Iruka was shocked that Sasuke ended up buying him all new, nonstick stainless steel frying pans and pots of multiple sizes. He repeatedly told the Uchiha to let him pay for it, but Sasuke snapped irritably for him to shut up as he handed the money to the teller. He did, however, make Iruka carry it all as they headed back to the Chunin's apartment. Sasuke specifically made sure to insult him about being stupid enough to never buy a rice cooker, buying the simplest, but sleekest one he could get.

The Chunin couldn't help but smile, his arms loaded with boxes.

Sasuke's doing all of this for me.

Then he blinked.

But he already apologized. So why's he doing all of this?

…

Could it be…?

He looked over at the Uchiha, who was glancing around the store to see if Iruka needed anything else before they left.

That he's doing all of this for when Kakashi comes back?

But he didn't understand – didn't the Uchiha LIKE Kakashi?

Maybe Sasuke's finally let him go…

When they got back to the apartment, it was time for lunch, so Sasuke set up the rice cooker and instructed Iruka – very simply – how to do it. ("Okay, first, you put two cups of rice into the metal bowl and rinse twice. Then you fill the metal bowl with water far enough to where your index finger's first joint is covered in water when you stick your finger in the bowl. Then, add a dollop of olive oil and sprinkle a little bit of salt. After that, add a few drops of lemon juice, and – if you want a little extra taste – put in a little sprig of green onion. Then you put the metal bowl in the cooker pot and put the lid on it. To make it cook, push down the lever from Warm to Cook.")

Under Sasuke's careful guidance, Iruka fixed a good bowl of rice on his first try.

Happily, the Chunin ate his rice – which was neither too soggy nor too salty – while Sasuke carefully wrote down the instructions, step by step.

As the weeks pressed on into months, Iruka became more adept than ever at cooking, with Sasuke always standing critically at his side. He never made a meal – that was always Sasuke's job – but he did always wash and dry all the dishes afterwards. Sasuke – after a while – even began helping him with the housework. They began talking more and more, even occasionally playing cards or Go. Iruka never asked Sasuke about Kakashi – about the night when both of their hearts broke when the Uchiha left – because he enjoyed the companionship – however frail or strange, with Sasuke always insulting him all the time – far too much. He was afraid that one breath even mentioning Kakashi would break the comfortable silence that took four months to make. So, he stayed silent, instead telling stories about Naruto and the others after Sasuke had left, and the Uchiha occasionally returning the favor, talking about the places he visited while with Sound. Iruka was amazed that Sasuke actually went to the Waterfall Village – which was more than halfway across the world – and begged for him to elaborate. The Uchiha – after a moment of quietly snickering at Iruka's sudden childishness – complied, and the Chunin knew that if the Waterfall Village wasn't an enemy of the Leaf Village, he would go visit. It sounded like an absolutely gorgeous place.

Six more weeks passed, and Iruka returned from shopping, his arms stuffed with groceries. He had decided previously that grocery shopping was exceedingly more fun when you knew what to look for, having been trained by Sasuke to keep his eye out for certain qualities when looking for fresh produce. He entered the apartment to find the place deserted, a note on the coffee table. Blinking, he set down the bags and picked it up.

Iruka,

The old hag Tsunade called me into her office for a while. I should be back by late evening.

Don't blow the apartment up.

Sasuke

Iruka noticed that Sasuke had used his first name and grinned. He could almost hear Sasuke saying each word in the note. Laughing, he glanced at the clock, and realized that he had over five hours before Sasuke was supposed to be back.

Then he got an idea.

Sasuke – tired and a bit annoyed – arrived at about eight at night, locking the door softly behind him. He really wasn't looking forward to fixing dinner, but – blinking – it took a moment to realize that he wasn't seeing things and that food was actually already on the table. He raised his eyes to see Iruka smiling sheepishly at him, and he blinked.

"This is take out, isn't it?" The Uchiha deadpanned. Iruka, who wasn't expecting that to be the first thing out of Sasuke's mouth, panicked.

"No! Of course not! I…" he flushed a bright pink and fell silent, absently kicking to ground with his toe. "I…" he mumbled as Sasuke blinked at him. "I… made it…"

Sasuke blinked again.

"You've got to be kidding me," he said. Iruka shook his head vigorously.

"No! I'm not! I promise!" He exclaimed, flailing his arms frantically. Then he smiled a little and toed the ground sheepishly, hands behind his back. "I made it. All by myself."

Sasuke crossed his arms and cocked his head at the Chunin, surveying the other for a moment before smirking.

"Really?" He asked. Then he shrugged, heading over to his side of the table. "Okay then, let's see how you did."

Silently, Sasuke took his seat, and Iruka did as well, fidgeting nervously as Sasuke took a little bit from each dish and set it on his plate, not even once glancing at the Chunin in front of him. Taking his fork, he daintily took the smallest piece of teriyaki chicken and placed it in his mouth.

There was silence as the Uchiha judged the food, Iruka feeling like he was waiting for the judge to give him the death sentence or to send him home free.

Then the teen smirked and looked up at the Chunin, eyes alight in – Iruka couldn't dare to believe it – pride.

"Not bad," he told the Chunin. Still smirking, he continued to eat. "At least not for a guy who couldn't even fix a decent plate of eggs."

Iruka smiled brightly, feeling as if a huge weight had been lifted off his chest as he too filled his plate and began to eat.

As they ate the teriyaki chicken with snap peas and sliced bell peppers, along with a side of stir fried rice with peas, green onions and a side of asparagus, and a bowl of fruit salad as the sweet part of the meal, Sasuke was silent. Iruka – all the while they ate – expected Sasuke to criticize his food, saying how the homemade teriyaki sauce was either too salty or too sweet, or how the rice had too much soy sauce and not enough rice, or perhaps even something as small as the size of the chopped bell peppers were too big – but the Uchiha was silent. Even when Iruka – blushing and unsure – got out the homemade vanilla milkshakes (the only sweet thing he found that Sasuke liked), Sasuke didn't say a word. The Chunin at least expected some soft comment about the Uchiha not liking sweets or the milkshake not being sweet enough, but there was nothing. Not a word was spoken all throughout the meal, and even when Sasuke silently picked up the dishes and put them in the sink, taking out a sponge, he still hadn't said anything.

Iruka went over to the Uchiha's side, picking up a dish towel to dry but the Uchiha pulled it out of his hand, silently telling the Chunin that he'd handle it.

"Sasuke…" he realized a few weeks ago that Sasuke didn't mind the absent of an honorific. "How was it?"

"Hm?" The other asked, his mind obviously somewhere else as he washed the dishes. "Why do you ask?"

"Well, you never said anything while you ate," Iruka explained. "What did you think of it? Was it that bad?"

Sasuke actually laughed.

"No. I just thought that since you obviously spent so much time on it, criticizing you would just dissuade you from making food more often."

Iruka blinked and then glared at the teen – he felt at ease with the other enough to do that.

"But I need you to tell me what I did wrong! How else will I get better?"

He could've sworn Sasuke had a small smile on his face. Iruka couldn't believe it, but he would swear on everything he held dear that the Uchiha's voice had become warm.

"Well, I won't tell you it was perfect, because it wasn't, but it's nothing simple practice won't improve," Sasuke told him, not looking up from the dishes. "You've gotten a lot better, and the very fact that you can make something like that without burning down the entire apartment complex shows me you've really matured as a cook."

Iruka was sure of it now – Sasuke was smiling, a pleased, proud blush on his cheeks.

"You put your heart into that dish, and – despite the fact that it wasn't perfect – that's all it needed to be satisfying."

Sasuke looked up at him, a definite half-smile on his face.

"Good job."

Iruka didn't realize how long he had been waiting for the strict, uncompromising Uchiha to say those words until he actually said them. Blushing furiously, the Chunin whirled and raced out of the room and vanished down the hall.

Sasuke blinked after him, not expecting that reaction, but then he shrugged and continued to wash dishes.

After a few moments, Iruka reappeared, carefully walking into the main room, watching Sasuke's back.

There was no reaction from the Uchiha, but Iruka knew the teen knew he was there.

"Your hair looks a little out of alignment, Sasuke," he commented, noticing the multiple stray strands. Sasuke smirked, but didn't look up.

"Yeah. I didn't have time to brush it well when I woke up. An Anbu was knocking at the door as soon as I got out of the shower. Now it's all messy."

He was slightly amused – his hair was never messy – but he didn't expect to be so shocked when a hairbrush ran through the black silk, gently untangling the strands.

It had taken all the courage Iruka possessed to make such a bold move – no one touched the Uchiha's hair, after all – and he expected Sasuke to whirl and lash out at him with a Chidori, but he didn't.

Sasuke's hands stilled underneath the flow of faucet water, and Iruka – drawing up his courage – repeated the motion, careful not to pull too harshly on the Uchiha's hair.

There was stillness for a moment, the faucet running water endlessly onto Sasuke's hands.

But then his fingers were moving again – he was continuing to wash dishes – and he hadn't struck out at the Chunin behind him. Iruka bit back a sigh of relief. It was alright – he could touch the Uchiha.

He continued to draw the brush through Sasuke's thick locks, marveling at the silkiness that passed through his fingers like water. For a moment, he forgot where he was and just enjoyed being with the Uchiha, a content smile on his face. Though no words were spoken between them, Iruka knew he just crossed a line that Sasuke rarely allowed anyone to step close to.

The brush continued to run through Sasuke's hair until Sasuke finished washing and drying the dishes. Slowly, he turned to look up at the Chunin, who was only about two inches taller than the Uchiha.

They merely looked at each other for a moment, and then Sasuke smirked up at the other.

"I meant what I said Iruka," he told the Chunin. "Good job." He turned away from the other man and headed back to the hallway. "Good night."

Iruka grew warm inside.

"Sasuke," he called at the Uchiha's back. The other turned at the hallway's doorframe, hand on the wood as he turned back to look at the Chunin. Iruka smiled. "Thank you – for everything."

Sasuke – unbelievably – smiled back.

"No…" he breathed, turning back to the hallway, speaking so quietly that only himself could hear. "Thank you."

You gave me the strength to let go.

The next day Kakashi returned.

Iruka was sitting at the table, leaving through the papers Sasuke had given him the first day of cooking lessons, his fingers still tingling from where he had touched the Uchiha's hair.

Sasuke was just waking up now – Iruka could hear the alarm clock ringing and then being slammed against the wall, where a muffled crash of metal resulted – making the Chunin chuckle. The Uchiha would be out in a few moments.

Then the door opened, and Iruka turned his head to see a familiar gray head entering the room.

The other smiled tiredly at him.

"Hello, Iruka, my dear."

Iruka was up in a moment, joy making his chest fit to burst.

But he said nothing – as soon as he had reached the other, Kakashi's arms were around him and lips were on his own, not allowing him to say a word.

The Chunin had never felt such relief before.

Oh God, Kakashi…

Sasuke walked into the room to see Iruka in Kakashi's arms.

His eyes widened as the half smile fell from his lips, and he felt the familiar pain rise in his chest as he watched them embrace. The childish part of him screamed to break them apart – to rush to the Jounin and tell him everything that had happened – to tell him the truth – to tear Kakashi away from Iruka, because Kakashi was HIS.

The Uchiha shook his head frantically, gripping the wooden doorframe with his left hand, slapping his right over his mouth and closing his eyes to keep from doing just that.

No – you said you would let him go you promised yourself –

His heart felt like it was being torn in two, and he felt tears come to his eyes, but he willed them away, taking a deep breath and preparing himself to smoothly withdraw from the entire situation – to just walk out of Kakashi and Iruka's lives – it would be best for all three of them if he just vanished.

But Iruka had done so much for him – it would probably wound the man royally if he simply disappeared – his Uchiha blood forbade such rudeness.

So he steeled himself for the heartbreak he would force upon himself and – making sure his face was carefully blank – he raised a knuckle to his mouth and softly cleared his throat.

The other two broke away at the sound, and there was a tense moment of silence where Sasuke and the other two merely looked at each other, Sasuke's eyes half-closed and subtly searching Kakashi's face, searching to see if Kakashi was truly faithful to the one beside him.

Kakashi merely stared at him, eyes wide. He couldn't bring himself to say anything, and the old Sasuke he knew would probably say nothing as well – the Jounin was prepared to stand for minutes in silence.

However, the Uchiha had changed.

His eyes still carefully blank, he nodded slightly to the Jounin.

"Kakashi," he stated simply – smoothly, fighting the urge to run to the Jounin and steal his heart again – he knew he could probably do it – it was just the matter of right wording.

There was silence for a moment.

"Sasuke," the Jounin replied cautiously, testing the waters.

No matter how loyal Kakashi was to the Chunin at his side – who was staring at Sasuke in such fear (Oh God is he going to try and take Kakashi away–?) – Sasuke knew Kakashi would never be as heartless as to turn him down in all sense of the world. No – the Jounin was too softhearted for that, and Sasuke knew it. With just a few well-placed words…

Sasuke looked over to Iruka and gave him a small smile.

"Well Iruka-san," he began, adding the honorific to ease Kakashi's probable doubt that perhaps Sasuke was desperate enough to steal the Chunin's heart while he was gone – the honorific showed a respect between them that was carefully business and nothing more. "Since Kakashi is back, it's obvious that the six months of house arrest have ended, and therefore you are no longer required to be my charge. I'll be taking my leave."

A smooth withdrawal – good. No turning back now.

With that, Sasuke gracefully turned and walked back down the hall to his room, where he had packed all of his things the night before as he promised himself that he would let Iruka have Kakashi, because it was better that way.

Iruka was struck with life as if a lightning bolt had shot down and shocked it into him, and he ran forward.

"Wait! Sasuke!"

He forgot to add the honorific.

"Sasuke, are you sure?"

He opened the door to the guest room, but Sasuke was gone, the window leading to the landing outside open. Energized, Iruka leaped through it to see the Uchiha walking away, bag in hand. He ran to catch up with the younger teen.

"Sasuke!"

The Uchiha paused at his name and turned at his name to see Iruka running up to him.

"Yes, Iruka?" He asked, leaving off the honorific because Kakashi was out of earshot. The other stared down at him disbelievingly.

"You're going to leave just like that? You're not even going to try to take Kakashi back?"

Sasuke blinked at him before he smirked, amused.

"Why? Do you want me to try and take him back?"

Iruka blushed.

"NO! I just – I –"

Sasuke laughed softly behind a hand.

"Relax Iruka – it's fine. If you weren't with him already, I probably would." He looked out past the balustrade and gazed at the buildings and trees around them. "But I realized last night that I've been acting like a child and that… it's best this way. You deserve Kakashi a lot more than I do – you can give him what I only take away."

Iruka blinked. Hearing something like this was strange, especially coming from an Uchiha who was well-known for being scarily possessive.

"But…"

Sasuke's smile broadened ever so slightly.

"Don't worry about it, Iruka. It's fine. I'll be fine knowing that Kakashi – and you, come to think of it – is happy with the person he's with. I know that Kakashi could never be truly happy with me – there's too much guilt between us for that – but at least he found you to spend his life with."

Iruka blushed. Whoever knew Sasuke was so wise?

"Sasuke –"

"Oh! By the way, before I forget…" Sasuke opened up his bag and rummaged inside before pulling out a simple ringed spiral. "Here." He handed it to the Chunin. "Think of it as a 'thank you' present."

Iruka blinked, opening up the spiral.

Inside were over two hundred recipes.

"I thought since you can actually cook now, you'll need a cook book," Sasuke explained as the Chunin leaved through the pages with wide eyes. "There's simple recipes along with complex ones. Now you can finally impress Kakashi with your skills!" He glanced up to see Sasuke smiling broadly at him. "So now that you can cook, you better invite me to dinner one of these days!" The smile turned from happy to playfully threatening as the Uchiha pointed pointedly at him. Iruka laughed.

"Of course I will! Don't worry about that! By the way…" His eyes sparkled. "Do you have your recipe for gumbo in here?"

Sasuke glared at him.

"Of course not! It took me over seven years to perfect that recipe! Maybe if I have kids, I'll pass it onto them, but most certainly not you!"

Iruka laughed again, having expected this reaction.

"Of course, of course. Sasuke…" he looked down at the Uchiha. "Are you sure you don't want to tell him the truth?"

Sasuke blinked up at him for a moment before smiling grimly.

"And what good would come out of any of that? It would do nothing but cause regret on Kakashi's part, and I enjoy seeing him happy. I've caused him to regret too much already – I want to avoid doing it again when I can. You can tell him if you like – I can't stop you either way, but I have no intention of revealing the truth."

Iruka detected a definite sadness in the Uchiha's voice, and it made him sad too. But then he realized that sadness had no place in a goodbye – at least not this type of goodbye – so he willed it away.

"Sasuke…" he smiled down at the Uchiha, closing the cook book and holding it close. "Thank you – for everything. You did more than teach me how to cook."

You taught me how to trust people who could very well tear apart my life by the seams, and enjoy watching that trust pay off.

Sasuke blinked at him before returning the smile.

"Yes. And you did more than just watch me for six months. You gave me the strength to let go."

Iruka blinked and then blushed, at a loss for words as Sasuke turned, waving over his shoulder.

"See you, Iruka."

After a moment, the Chunin realized Sasuke was actually leaving and leaped forward.

"Wait – Sasuke!"

The other turned to face him, and they merely looked at each other for a moment. Iruka, close to crying for who knew what reason, raised his arms slightly.

"May I…?"

Sasuke blinked again before smiling.

"Sure."

Iruka leaned forward and wrapped his arm around the Uchiha in a hug. Sasuke, softly smirking, gently returning it before noticing as he looked over Iruka's shoulder that Kakashi had walked out the door and was behind the Chunin about fifteen feet, watching everything.

Smirking, Sasuke winked at him, making Kakashi blink and blush, before Iruka released him. The Chunin definitely had tears leaking out of his eyes now.

"Have a good life, Sasuke."

The Uchiha nodded.

"You too, Iruka. I'll see you 'round."

With that, Sasuke turned and walked away – walked out of Iruka's life.

His form blurred, but not because he was beginning to teleport.

It took Iruka a few moments to realize Sasuke was merely walking away, and that he was blurred because the Chunin was crying.

Kakashi walked over to Iruka, wrapping his arms around the other.

"I don't love him, you know," he breathed softly. The Chunin returned the embrace.

"Yes, I know." He smiled up at the Jounin. "Sasuke was just saying goodbye – we had a lot of fun while he was here, you know?" Laughing, he smiled up Kakashi. "Now come on!" He pulled at Kakashi arm. "You can talk to Sasuke later, but now, I want to fix you dinner!"

Grinning from ear to ear, Iruka pulled Kakashi into the apartment, and neither of them saw the ridiculous smile on Sasuke face as tears streamed from his eyes.

I gotta say, I'm proud of myself.

That smile broadening, he leaped forward and raced through Konoha to the apartment he and Tsunade had set up the day before.

Kakashi… Iruka…

Please be happy.

TWO MONTHS LATER…

"Kakashi-sensei! Iruka-sensei!"

There was an awful banging at the door. Blinking, Iruka opened it to see Naruto grinning down at him – the blonde had grown taller than the Chunin by at least an inch. Kakashi blinked at the blonde from over Iruka's shoulder.

"What is it, Naruto?" He asked. Naruto's eyes sparkled as he grinned, bouncing from foot to foot.

"Neji and Sasuke are together! Neji and Sasuke are together!"

Both the older men's eyes widened as they turned to stare at each other. Sasuke was actually with someone?

"Do you think…?" Kakashi began.

Do you think he forced himself into a relationship?

"I don't know," Iruka replied. "Maybe…"

Maybe you should talk to him to – you know – just make sure.

Kakashi nodded and turned back to Naruto.

"Naruto, do you know how they got together?"

The blonde nodded vigorously, proud to be the one sharing the gossip.

"Yep! Shikamaru says that Neji and Sasuke came across each other training late one night, and then Sasuke invited Neji over to his apartment for dinner! Tenten says they totally hit it off!"

Shikamaru and Tenten were dating.

Iruka remembered the delicious gumbo – gumbo that could be used to steal anyone's heart – and grinned.

"Well, I'm not surprised. Do you know where the two lovebirds are now?" He asked. Naruto laughed and nodded.

"Yep! They're hanging out on top of the Hokage faces! You should've seen the look on Hiashi's face – Hinata told me it was absolutely priceless!"

The shy Hyuuga was Naruto's fiancée. Kakashi smiled.

"Thanks for telling us, Naruto! Tell them 'hi' for us!"

Naruto nodded, a huge grin on his face.

"You got it, Kakashi-sensei!"

The blonde raced off.

Kakashi closed the door and then looked at Iruka. The Chunin nodded.

"Yes – please, go talk to him! You two haven't said a word to each other ever since he left the apartment! At least stay friends!"

Kakashi laughed and nodded.

"Okay Iruka, okay." Before he vanished, Iruka called as an afterthought,

"And get his phone number!"

Kakashi peeked through the leaves to see Sasuke and Neji in the forests beside the tops of the Hokage statues, the latter sitting on the ground, back against a tree and the former on his lap, straddling his thighs with his arms wrapped around the Hyuuga's neck, apparently taking a snooze.

The Jounin fought from laughing at the pair – whoever knew Sasuke could fall asleep in such an awkward position?

A couple minutes passed, and Neji shifted underneath the Uchiha, making Sasuke's eyes flutter open. The Uchiha pulled away from the Hyuuga's neck and yawned, looking down at Neji curiously.

The Hyuuga said something that made Sasuke pout, and Neji laughed, raising his hands to cup the Uchiha's face before pulling the younger down for a swift, soft kiss.

When Neji released Sasuke, the Uchiha was still pouting, but he allowed the Hyuuga to stand up nonetheless.

As soon as Neji stood, he wrapped his arms around the Uchiha and they just stood there for a moment in silence, basking in the warmth of the other's arms. Sasuke's arms were around the Hyuuga's neck, his forearms hiding his mouth and nose from view and Neji's chin resting on his shoulder, but Kakashi could still see the Uchiha's eyes.

The look in them made all doubt in Kakashi's heart vanish.

He was about to leave, but then he remembered Iruka's words and stayed, watching as the two drew apart and shared one last touch of the lips before Neji turned and leaped into the trees, leaving Sasuke in the trees.

As soon as the other left, Sasuke spoke.

"I know you're there," he called over his shoulder. Kakashi laughed, emerging from the brush.

"Well, I have to say, I was worried about you at first. But I'm glad to see you began a relationship with Neji because you wanted to."

Sasuke shot him a look.

"I may be childish at times, but I'm not stupid!" He snapped defensively. "I know that just forcing a relationship would only make both of us miserable!"

Kakashi smiled at him.

"I'm glad to see you're happy."

Sasuke blinked at the sudden comment and then smirked.

"Yeah – you're happy too, I see. That's good."

Kakashi shuffled his feet slightly.

"Well, thanks for teaching Iruka how to cook," he told the Uchiha. "He needed it."

Sasuke shook his head distastefully and shrugged.

"Well, I tried to teach you and you ended up being even more hopeless than HE was at the beginning, so I didn't have any choice," he replied. Kakashi chuckled and nodded, hands in his pockets. Then he looked at Sasuke, a serious look in his eyes.

"Iruka told me the truth about why you left," he stated. "I'm –"

"If you apologize to me, I swear to God, I will rip out every hair on your head and make you eat them," Sasuke deadpanned, arms crossed, making Kakashi stop short as the Jounin's eyes went wide. "I'm really not interested in you feeling guilty. What's done is done, and I'm happy that you found a person that really cherishes you. I've never really learned how to cherish anything so devotedly, so you're lucky you found someone like Iruka."

Kakashi blinked and then grinned from underneath his mask.

"You're wise when you want to be, Sasuke," he told the younger. Sasuke laughed.

"Yes – I'm sure Iruka's thought that multiple times himself."

They both laughed for a moment, and then Kakashi blinked.

"Sasuke…"

The Uchiha opened his eyes and looked up at the Jounin, arms still crossed.

"Hm?"

Kakashi gazed at him, searching for any lies.

"Are you truly happy with Neji?"

Sasuke blinked, and then have Kakashi a half-smile.

"Yes. I think I am. He's nothing like you, but then again, maybe that's a good thing." Still smiling, he turned halfway from Kakashi, his side facing the Jounin as he looked at the ground, eyes sparkling with something the older man had never seen before. "That Hyuuga… he's just something else."

Kakashi remembered the look Sasuke had in his eyes when the two had embraced and smiled.

"Yeah. I think you chose well."

The Uchiha continued as if Kakashi had never spoken.

"I mean, he's stoic and rude and a stubborn pain in the ass sometimes, but nothing I'm not familiar with."

The Jounin fought from laughing at the way all these insults just seemed to flow off Sasuke's tongue.

"Kakashi."

The Jounin looked up to see Sasuke smirking up at him, a strange glint in his eyes.

"Don't make me regret letting you go. Treat each other right, okay?"

Kakashi smiled and nodded, but then blinked as a thought flashed through his mind.

"Oh, by the way, Iruka wanted your new phone number."

Sasuke blinked as well before nodding, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a pen before motioning the Jounin to come closer.

Extending out his arm, Kakashi watched as Sasuke wrote his number on his skin, crisp and business-like.

The Jounin nodded before raising his eyes to lock gazes with the Uchiha.

"Sasuke, what made you move on?"

The Uchiha rolled his eyes and crossed his arms again.

"Always to the point with you! Tsk – fine!" He closed his eyes. "It was mainly Iruka that gave me the ability to let you go. He made me realize that no matter how badly I wanted you, your true ability to love already belonged to someone else, and anything we might have had would've been fake." He smiled at Kakashi. "You know I hate anything fake, so – even though the decision was easy to see, that didn't make it any easier to make." He closed his eyes again. "It was hard – letting you go, but it paid off – I know it did. Every time you two are together, the very air around you seems brighter. I know I could never have something like that with you – we could never have something so pure." He raised his head to look at the Jounin again, who was at a loss for words. "So, even though we've had a tainted history – you and I – at least we can have better beginnings."

Smiling, Kakashi nodded.

"Yes. We can." He turned. "All right Sasuke, I'll see ya!"

The Uchiha smirked at him.

"Yes. I guess you will."

With that, the younger ninja vanished.

THREE DAYS LATER…

"Hey Sasuke!" Iruka exclaimed into the mouthpiece.

"Hey Iruka. How's all?" The Uchiha replied. The Chunin flushed in excitement.

"Kakashi's on a mission all day today, and I made a huge lunch but I don't have anyone to eat it with me!" He adopted a distressed tone before he spoke, making it seem like he was pouting. There was silence over the line for a moment.

"You just invited me to lunch, didn't you?"

Iruka grinned.

"Yep! Can you come in a few minutes?"

He could've sworn the Uchiha was smirking as he replied.

"I'll be over in two."

The line went dead.

Sasuke was at the door in precisely two minutes, and Iruka laughed, ushering the Uchiha inside.

Lunch consisting of tuna sandwiches and potato salad was already laid out on the table, two chairs pulled up. Sasuke smirked as he went over to the table.

"You've certainly gotten better since I left, Iruka. This looks delicious!"

Grinning, Iruka took a seat across from Sasuke.

Just like old times. He thought fondly.

"So, what have you been up do, Sasuke?" Iruka asked. "Is Neji doing all right?"

Sasuke smirked as he bit into a tuna sandwich square.

"Yes, Neji's doing fine. He's STILL trying to convince his uncle that being gay doesn't affect his fighting skills." Sasuke laughed. "Hiashi is completely insane – sometimes I hate him and sometimes I think he'll be an awesome in-law. I just can't make up my mind about him."

Iruka laughed.

"I'm sure Hiashi-san will come to his senses sooner or later. Have you met him yet?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"I've already been dragged to have dinner with him twice already – both were total disasters. It seemed that Manda HAD to get it into his head to visit me the same day I was having dinner with Neji's uncle."

The Chunin burst out laughing.

"Oh my goodness, that's incredible! What on earth happened?"

Sasuke shrugged.

"Well, you know how Manda is – he completely terrified the gardeners who were working in the front yard of the estate, and he definitely crushed a few topiary hedges and toppled a few trees, but other than that, no real damage was done to the estate as a whole – just enough to get Hiashi pissed."

Iruka shook his head daintily.

"Oh, I can imagine!"

They continued to chatter about mindless things as they ate, both enjoying spending time with each other.

Afterwards, Sasuke gave Iruka a few more recipes to add to the cook book and then left, saying that Iruka would have to invite him over more often. The Chunin laughed and agreed, waving Sasuke off. After the Uchiha had left, Iruka cocked his head in thought.

Sasuke… has changed.

ONE AND A HALF YEARS LATER…

"Iruka-sensei! Kakashi-sensei!"

An awful banging echoed through the room, and Kakashi got up to answer the door.

"Good morning Naruto. What is it?"

Naruto's eyes were bright.

"Neji and Sasuke are getting married! Neji and Sasuke are getting married!"

Kakashi's eye bulged as Iruka covered the table in front of him with spittle-coffee, leaping up to join Kakashi at the door.

"Are you serious Naruto?"

The blonde nodded.

"Yep! They announced it just a few hours ago! Hiashi finally agreed to sign the marriage contract! Neji and Sasuke are officially engaged!" But then Naruto's face fell. "Unfortunately though, Neji's just been sent on a three-week mission, S-ranked. There's a high possibility that he could die."

Silence fell at Naruto's words, but then Iruka shook his head.

"No. I don't think so," he commented. "Neji is strong, and he adores Sasuke – he's not going to let himself get killed. Have faith Naruto." He smiled at the blonde. "Everything's going to be just fine."

It HAS to be. For Sasuke's sake.

TWENTY-ONE DAYS LATER…

Kakashi was walking through the forest outside of Konoha, not really thinking about anything in particular when he saw Sasuke in the clearing ahead of him, sitting with his back to a tree and looking up at the sky, the two o'clock sun shining down on him. The Jounin stayed silent, simply watching.

The Uchiha's thoughts were somewhere far away as he gazed up at the cloudless sky, his black hair shining white in the sun. Kakashi merely watched him for a while, still like the trees beside him.

There was movement behind the Uchiha, and a small sparrow flew from the shadows behind him to land on Sasuke's shoulder, making the Uchiha blink and turn his head to the creature, eyes wide.

The bird chirped cheerfully at him, and the teen smiled, raising a finger to rub his fingertip on the sparrow's head, making the small creature whistle in pleasure.

Then the bird chirped once more and leaped off Sasuke's shoulder, making the Uchiha instinctively leap up and reach out for the bird with his left hand, stretching his arm around the tree as he stood.

His fingertips touched other fingertips – a hand was holding his.

Both Sasuke and Kakashi blinked to see Neji on the end of that hand, smiling at the Uchiha. The younger ninja looked down at his hand to see a shining gold band on his left ring finger.

There was silence for a moment before Neji spoke. Kakashi was close enough to hear what was being said.

"So, Sasuke Uchiha, will you marry me?"

Another stretch of silence followed – one where Kakashi was sure Sasuke was silent because of pure shock. Then the Uchiha laughed and flung his arms around the Hyuuga, exclaiming at how Neji could possibly ever think he would say 'no' after waiting more than eighteen months to finally be with the Hyuuga as Neji turned in circles with Sasuke's momentum.

The Hyuuga laughed as Sasuke drew away from him only to lock lips with Neji's, holding the Hyuuga's face while Neji tightened his grip around Sasuke's waist, holding the Uchiha like he was the most precious person in the world – which, he probably was.

Kakashi sniffed inaudibly, turning away from the two.

"Oh God I think I'm gonna cry," he sniffled before vanishing.

THE DAY AFTER…

Sasuke and Iruka were having dinner again, and Sasuke went straight out and asked the question he'd been dying to get out in the open for months.

"So when are you and Kakashi getting married?"

Iruka – who was taking a drink from his glass – spit the water out all over the table. Sasuke blinked.

"You're lucky none of that hit me," he commented as Iruka flushed.

"What? What do you mean, 'married'?"

Sasuke stared at him.

"You know exactly what I mean! You two have been together longer than Neji and me, and you STILL haven't tied the knot yet! Everyone is waiting for you to come out and announce it! What on EARTH are you two waiting for?" He demanded, waving his fork at the Chunin. The other laughed nervously.

"Uh, well, uh –"

"You're afraid to buy rings, aren't you?" Sasuke deadpanned. Iruka blinked and looked down to Sasuke's fingers – which were laced under his chin. He saw the simple golden band on the other's left ring finger winking in the light.

"Uh… well… it's just that… we've never really talked about it…"

Sasuke merely stared at him before returning to his meal.

"You're both hopeless."

Iruka laughed nervously again.

"Oh come now Sasuke, don't be like that! But, I think you're right." He grew serious. "Neither of us are very romantic outside of the house –"

"Oh that sounds wrong in all sense of the world," Sasuke interrupted, grinning. Iruka shot him a look, but continued.

"So I don't think either of us could manage buying rings."

Sasuke merely looked at him for a moment before nodding, reaching under the table.

"Well, it's a good thing I brought this then."

He pulled out something held in his fist and set his clenched hand on the table in front of him. Pulling away his hand, he revealed a small black velvet box. Grinning at the dumbfounded look on Iruka's face, he pushed it across the table towards the Chunin.

"Don't just sit there with your jaw down. Open it."

Numbly, Iruka plucked the box from the table and opened it.

Inside were two plain golden rings.

His eyes bulged.

"Sasuke, you didn't have to… how did you… HOW MUCH DID THESE COST?" He finally managed to squeak, looking up to see the Uchiha's fingers laced underneath his chin again, flashing the Chunin a sly fox grin.

"Now you don't have any excuses," he stated, getting up. "Thanks for the food Iruka, it was great!" He smiled at the shocked Chunin as he opened the door. "I'll be waiting for the announcement, okay?"

"Yeah, okay," Iruka managed to say.

With that, Sasuke was gone.

SIX YEARS LATER…

"Hey! No fair Suyokio! Give that back!" A gray-headed four-year-old chased after a brown-headed six-year-old girl, who had stolen his plastic kunai. The girl – Suyokio – stuck out her tongue at him.

"No way, Tsukasa! You have to take it from me first!"

Laughing while the boy begged, they ran in circles around the large yard.

Sasuke laughed as Kakashi pouted.

"Sasuke, your child is as sadistic as you are," he told the younger man. The other grinned at him.

"You're just saying that because MY kid can kick YOUR kid's ass!" He exclaimed. Neji rolled his eyes from underneath Sasuke, who was sitting on his lap, the Uchiha's legs crossed.

"Be nice, Sasuke," he told the Uchiha, his arms around Sasuke's waist. "We ARE the guests."

Sasuke scoffed as the baby in his arms yawned and looked up at him, her large white eyes gazing up at him.

"Sasuke, you and Neji breed like rabbits," Kakashi told him as he watched. The Uchiha planted a kiss on the child's forehead before opening up one eye and smirking at the Jounin.

"No – it's just because MY equipment is still working while YOURS probably went dead YEARS ago."

Before Kakashi could explode, Iruka appeared in the lawn, setting down a tray of lemonade glasses.

"Suyo-hime! Come here and get some lemonade!" Sasuke called to the girl.

"You too, Tsukasa!" Kakashi added.

Neji blinked as the two rushed over, noticing that Suyokio STILL had Tsukasa's toy.

"Suyokio, give him back his kunai," he told the child. She pouted for a moment before mumbling a 'yes, Daddy' before handing it back. Sasuke rolled his eyes while he shifted on Neji's lap until he could set his elbows on the chair's left arm and drape his knees over the right, handing his infant girl to Iruka.

"Neji, you're such a goody two shoes," he commented as the two children sipped up the lemonade greedily, the girl always teasing and poking fun at the boy, who tried to hide behind Kakashi's chair before the girl chased him out. Sasuke watched them fondly. "You know, they're totally going to get married," he told Neji and Kakashi. Kakashi spit out his lemonade.

"WHAT?" He demanded. Sasuke nodded sagely.

"Oh, don't be fooled. Just watch – these two are TOTALLY going to tie the knot when they get older."

Neji and Kakashi exchanged glances, silently asking each other how on EARTH the Uchiha was so sure.

The babe in Iruka's arms stirred and opened her eyes, blinking sleepily. The Chunin laughed and handed her back to Sasuke as Suyokio went over to her father.

"Is my baby sister okay?" She asked. Sasuke smiled down at her.

"Yes. She's doing fine. Now don't be TOO mean to Tsukasa-kun, okay?"

She smirked in an exact image of her Uchiha father.

"You got it, Daii-Sa!" She exclaimed, grabbing the smaller boy's hand and running off into the lawn again. Kakashi blinked.

"Daii-Sa?" He repeated. Sasuke smiled.

"It's her way of telling us apart. She calls Neji Daii-Neh."

The Uchiha grinned at his lover and – heheh – husband, who nodded.

The four men continued to watch the two children, Sasuke's littlest child sleeping soundly in his arms as he watched. Kakashi looked over at him, and then to Iruka, both had blissful smiles on their faces. Then he turned his head to watch his son play with Sasuke and Neji's daughter, both laughing even while sadistic Suyokio teased little Tsukasa.

"So, even though we've had a tainted history – you and I – at least we can have better beginnings."

Kakashi smiled.

Yes, Sasuke. We can.

And it was all because of you.

Sasuke told him not to make the Uchiha regret ever letting him go, and Kakashi had promised him that much. Sasuke knew that the Jounin deserved Iruka almost as much as the Uchiha didn't, and it took Kakashi two years to realize he was right. Sasuke told him that they would have better beginnings, and Kakashi never really believed him until that moment in the sunshine, watching his child play with Sasuke's in a lawn covered in bright yellow and pink wildflowers, sipping lemonade in the shade of a lawn umbrella and at that moment, utterly enjoying life.

Sasuke had told him they would have better beginnings, but he was wrong.

Thank you.

They would have better forevers.

End Longest One Shot on the Face of the Earth

End Tainted Histories and Better Beginnings

SOMEBODY GIVE THE KID AN OSCAR! (The Kid: Me) This one shot clocks in at 40 pages, including author notes. I DO believe it is the LONGEST one shot EVER. The second longest that I've read was 26 pages. If you've read longer Naruto one shots, okay, fine – ruin my fun and let me go cry in a corner in peace. –sniffles-

I know there are a few places I could've stopped, but something just told me to keep going and rewrite the record. –shrugs- What can I say? I just know I'm not making another one of THESE monsters. –shudders-

I also tried a new little style of writing – one where we use THESE things ('()') a lot. I think the end result came out very well! :D

So… a 40 page one shot with a beginning, middle, and end for plot. –collapses from exhaustion- If ANYTHING, at least I can say I'm satisfied. :D

But, like I said before – complete and total fluff. I adored it. XD

I hope you guys liked it! Despite it being long, it was fun to write. :D

Word Count without A/N's – 14, 075

Review?

Ja ne!

DDB