Disclaimer: Sadly Iruka and Kakashi are not mine.

Author's note: Hello there! I have been planning to write fanfiction about Iruka and Kakashi for ages. I have been a fangirl for ten years so I guess I have taken my time.

I don't think there will be anything explicit just love and drama between two guys.

I'm a Finnish gal so I hope you don't terribly mind my grammar. (Or if you do perhaps you could give me some constructive criticism!) I hope you enjoy and please leave some feedback!

CHAPTER 1

In a normal situation they would have given Umino Iruka a leave and told him to come back to work when his memories were in order. But the situation was far from normal.

War was over and people had awaken from the dream cast by the Infinite Tsukuyomi. Most of the shinobi who had been on the battlefront were still on their way back home. Unknown but too great number of the active shinobi had died on the war. No one new when Hokage would be coming back or if she even was alive. Simply put Konoha was in chaos.

To make matters worse waking up from the infinite dream wasn't really the end of that problem.

Death is an integral part of every shinobi's life and everyone had lost someone. In infinite dream all those important people been alive once again. There had been no wars, no demon foxes, no betrayals, no mistakes and no accidents. For a short moment everything was perfect. Then the dream was over and all those loved ones were dead once again. There were also all those dreamed up relationships that had never been and all those children who had never been born.

For some the dream was just a dream that would fade away soon. The memory of it might sting for a moment but they could easily cope with that.

For some the dream had teared all the wounds open and perhaps added some new ones too. They knew it was a dream but it had been so real. They could still remember every moment of the dream. Truth was grimmer and accepting the reality would take time.

Then there were those for whom the dream was still real. After waking up the dream had entwined with reality and they couldn't really tell these two apart. They had to start sorting memories and people out one by one. A good rule was, that if it seemed to be too good to be true, it most likely was. If you remembered someone to be both alive and dead, it was best to assume that they were dead.

One of those really unfortunate ones was Umino Iruka.

Councilors Mitokado and Utatane hadn't really cared about Iruka's personal problems when he had reported his status to them. They noticed that the man could still operate despite the damage his mind had taken. In the present situation he was more fit for work than many others. He could sit behind the mission room's desk and receive reports even if he wasn't sure who had passed away, who were his personal friends and with whom he had slept with.

Actually no one really new who was alive and who was dead. So Iruka could nicely sort that one out for both Konoha and himself. They also needed to gather all the intelligence about the war and give their shinobi new orders.

In the end Iruka found himself in charge of the mission room. As things were he was one of the senior shinobi present. He also had been part of the administrative staff long enough to know how things should work. His expertise was sorely needed.

So there really was no time for personal problems.

It was the second day after waking up. There had been a steady current of shinobi returning home and reporting since the early morning. All those with regular reports were standing in one long line and those with more urgent news were directed straight to Iruka's desk.

Iruka was going through reports and requests from different parts of Konoha when someone approached him. In front of his desk stood Hatake Kakashi. His uniform was bloodied and torn and he looked tired.

Iruka paused for a second until he said in a polite tone: "Welcome home, Hatake-san."

"Maa, always so polite, Umino-san."

There was something strange in the way Kakashi said those words. Or perhaps his tired slouch was a bit more stiff than a moment ago?

Iruka expertly ignored these thoughts. That was the only way to get through his job in the present situation. He had realized very quickly that the only way to keep going was not only to look professional but also to keep his thoughts inside his head professional. If he didn't ignore all his personal thoughts there would be no end for them.

It was best to be as efficient as possible. "Please report."

For half a second Kakashi just stared at Iruka. Shocked. He looked almost shocked! Iruka quashed the speculations his brain was helpfully trying to form and kept patiently waiting for Kakashi's answer.

"I returned to Konoha with Haruno Sakura, Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke. Uzumaki and Uchiha were hospitalized but there were no complications. I also left Haruno at the hospital. She was needed there. I'm here to see Hokage-sama as soon as possible."

Iruka took notes and said in neutral voice: "I'm afraid she has yet to return. Councilors are in charge for the moment and I believe they will see you in a moment."

Being professional and detached was important. He had a lot of work to do. He couldn't dwell on what Kakashi had just said. He couldn't allow himself to worry.

Iruka waved to Moegi who was working as a messenger. "Please tell Mitokado-sama and Utatane-sama that Hatake-san wishes to see them."

The young genin nodded and ran quickly away.

Iruka didn't look up at Kakashi but returned writing his notes instead. "Thank you for your report, Hatake-san."

Village and duty came first for a Shinobi and Iruka had a job to do. Time for worrying would be later.

TBC.