A/N: Right. I just remembered yesterday that Iruka's birthday is today, so well, I decided I had to do something as a present, because it does give me another reason to write a KakaIru. So, here it is. ^_^ No flaming for bad plot, grammar or whatsoever because really, I can't be blamed. =.= I had this wrote out in four hours between yesterday and today, without any forehand planning and absolutely no time for editing and beta-ing. And it was really random. I wrote the first idea I had and well, uh, I hope it make sense.

Anyway, all feedbacks, comments and reviews are welcome. Enjoy! And happy birthday, Iruka!

Iruka slammed the door shut behind him and trudged towards the living room, his posture tired and defeated. He left his bag on the couch and headed towards the bathroom, proceeding to draw himself a warm bath.

His lack of enthusiasm had nothing to do with the fact that it was a Monday and Mondays are supposed to be dreary and blue. No, it had nothing to do with that fact. Or rather, it had more to do with the color silver instead of blue. And more specifically, his one hell of an idiotic and insensitive silver-haired boyfriend.

Iruka sighed and turned the off the tap when the tub was three quarters filled. He stripped and lowered himself into the warm bliss as he relaxed into the bath. Staring up blankly at the ceiling, he frowned, mentally calculating on how long he hadn't seen Kakashi.

Three days, fourteen hours and forty minutes. He hadn't seen the jounin since their last argument the previous Thursday. They hadn't looked each other up; neither had either of them apologized for their part in the quarrel.

Iruka sank lower into the tub, the water covering half of his face as he blew bubbles into the water. Now that he thought about it, the topic that resulted in their conflict had been a petty one. Team seven's training regime was something that they will never see eye to eye. But still, he couldn't help himself whenever he sees the jounin putting the three genin into so much danger in the name of training.

He sighed and straightened himself, staring forlornly into nothingness. Their last quarrel had spun out of control and before either of them could stop themselves, words had been exchanged and Kakashi had even managed to throw out an insensitive word or two about the difference in their ranks and how Iruka could never understand why jounin did what they did. Even now that he recalled what had been said, the words still stung.

=-=-=-=

Flashback

"Didn't you realize just how dangerous that exercise was? They could have fallen off the cliff. You of all people should know that their chakra control isn't up to standards yet. And yet you made them walk up a cliff, just solely using their chakra and without any safety gears?"

Kakashi set down his fork and glanced at the chunin. "This is getting old, Iruka. Can we not debate about the ways I train them every other day?"

"Then train them using the normal ways!" Iruka snapped. "I nearly got a heart attack when Naruto almost slipped off the cliff. If he hadn't been quick enough to grab the rock, I supposed we would be visiting him in the hospital now."

"Will you stop worrying about this? He's fine now, isn't he?" Kakashi frowned.

"How irresponsible can you get? How can you say such things?" Iruka stared at his boyfriend disbelievingly. "Would you really be able to let it past your conscience if anything happens to any one of them?"

"That was training, Iruka! I wouldn't have let them done it if I don't think they are capable of this. Would you just have some faith in them instead of worrying about them every single second like some flustered mother hen?"

Iruka's eyes narrowed. Did Kakashi really just call him that? He took in a deep breath to calm himself and spoke through gritted teeth. "Well, excuse me then that I am worried about their safety more than I should because at the end of the day, even if they have left the academy, they are still precious to me. I know losing one or two of them to accidents doesn't mean anything to you. After all, it's nothing that you have never gone through before."

As soon as the words left him, Iruka instantly regretted it. When Kakashi's posture turned stiff at his statement, he berated himself silently for not having thought about his words before he actually said them.

Before he could utter an apology, Kakashi's mood has taken a colder turn. He eyed the chunin steely and spoke in such an emotionless voice that the younger man cringed.

"Well, I supposed so. After all, they are nothing but a burden to my career. I supposed I still would prefer to take on S-rank missions instead of a bunch of brats." The single grey eye narrowed. "But since Sandaime has entrusted them to me for now, I will do as I deem fit. I will train them as to what I think is suitable and you do not question my methodologies. I don't care if they are your previous students, but they are under my command now. You are neither in my rank nor position. So don't assume you know how jounin work and try telling me what is best for my soldiers!"

Iruka flinched at the last statement. He felt the hurt and anger rising in him as the words eventually set in and processed themselves in his mind. He swallowed hard and looked at Kakashi. "What are you trying to imply by pulling out talks about ranks?"

When Kakashi did not reply, Iruka felt his heart clenched so tightly that he felt it hard to breathe. He tried to look into the jounin's eye, but the older man averted his gaze. Iruka slumped back in his seat and let out a bitter laugh as he felt the energy being drained from his body. "Yes, I get it. I'm just a chunin. There's no way I will ever be able to match up to you in anything, because I will never understand how your mind work." The chunin took in a deep breath as he held back the tears that threatened to betray his emotions. Looking at the jounin, he spoke in a voice above a whisper past his constricted throat. "Then pray tell me, Kakashi. Why are we still together?"

Kakashi stood from his seat, not meeting his lover's eyes. He turned away and spoke in a subdued tone. "I've had enough of this talk. I'm going home."

Iruka watched silently as the jounin departed from the restaurant. He remained in his seat, unmoving, even after Kakashi had long departed. He felt numb and he could barely find it in himself to gather up the energy and leave the place. It wasn't until that he felt droplets of water landing on his hand that he realized that he doesn't really want to break down in public. With a quick few seals, he transported himself away from the restaurant and into his apartment.

For the first time in their one-year relationship, Iruka broke down.

=-=-=-=

Iruka swiped away the moisture that had gathered in his eyes. He admitted that it was probably his fault that Kakashi had gotten so riled up. But really, did that jerk have to point out the differences in their ranks during the argument? It really made him wonder just how long this thought had been in the older man's mind and just how willing Kakashi had been when he entered this relationship.

"Then why did he bother courting me in the very first place?" Iruka muttered. "He made me give him my heart and then he just trashed it like that."

And to think that the very next day was his birthday. He and Kakashi had each gotten leave to celebrate the occasion. But now, it seems that the four days that he had taken off from the academy and mission room would go wasted. Perhaps he could go to Sandaime and tell the elder that he would like to cancel his leave and go back to work. His co-workers would be more than glad. After all, not everyone can handle his class in the academy.

The chunin sat in the tub motionlessly until the water began to run cold. He sighed and stood up, draining the water and quickly wash himself off. Dressing himself, he walked out of the bathroom, drying his hair with a towel. He paused in the hallway. Somehow, without Kakashi around, the apartment seems so much lonelier. Even if they weren't officially staying together, the jounin always make it a point to pop by at his apartment every other day and sometimes, stayed the night. And as the number of days that went without seeing the older man increased, the thicker the silence in his home got.

He trudged over to the couch, grabbing an apple on the way and settled by the coffee table to start grading the stack of assignments. But he had barely gotten past the first two questions when he found his concentration began to shift. He sighed and tossed the red pen aside, as he leaned back against the couch and stared at the ceiling.

He and Kakashi had never taken this long to make up after their arguments. But this time, it seemed that things had gotten out of hand. Perhaps, his last words before Kakashi had left the restaurant had really got the jounin thinking and reconsider their relationship. He rubbed his face tiredly, ignoring the tears that rolled down his eyes.

Was this really the end?

=-=-=-=

Kakashi downed another cup of sake while Asuma sat beside him, throwing the silver-haired man glances every other minute. Finally, he sighed.

"Look Kakashi, we've been here every evening for the last three days. It's not like you to be drinking so much. Are you even going to tell me what is wrong?"

"I've screwed it up." Kakashi muttered as he refilled his cup.

Asuma shook his head and lit his cigarette. He propped his elbow against the table as he took a sip out of his drink. "You've been telling me that for three days too. And from what I deduce, it has got to do with Iruka. But, do you care to elaborate a little more so that I can get a better idea on just what is going on?"

The silver-haired jounin sighed and leaned back in his seat. "We had an argument."

"Over your team's training methods?" Asuma snorted. "Nothing new. And?"

"We exchanged words."

"Which quarrel doesn't?" Asuma raised an eyebrow.

Kakashi ran a hand through his hair. "I hurt him."

At that, Asuma was silent. He stared at his glass for a moment before turning to his friend. "What did you say?"

"I……." Kakashi fiddled with his glass, watching the liquid swirl in it. "I pulled ranks on him."

Asuma sighed deeply. "What exactly happened?"

Kakashi's grip tightened over the glass. "Well, he wasn't happy with the way I trained Naruto and the others on their chakra control. And he questioned my responsibility over them. I guess the argument got heated and we just sort of tapped into each other's sensitive topics."

The jounin sighed and leaned back in his seat, taking his drink with him. "He said I will never feel enough to understand the pain if anything happens to those students. And I told him to stay out of this because he is just a chunin and he will never understand the jounins' inner workings. And before I left, he kind of hinted that perhaps, we should end this relationship."

Asuma shook his head in exasperation. "Really, the two of you have been together for a year. I would have expected you to have a better understanding of each other now. But your quarrels seemed to get worse every time."

"It's his birthday tomorrow." Kakashi said quietly.

Asuma studied his friend quietly for a minute. Then he turned to tap the ashes off his cigarette. "Apologize to him, Kakashi."

"It won't help matters. I've brought things too far this time."

"Iruka is not that hard-hearted, Kakashi. You should know this better than anyone else. For all you know, he's probably regretting this argument too but like you, he has no idea how to approach this. Since it's his birthday tomorrow, it's presenting you with a good opportunity to make amends."

The copy nin glanced at his friend. "Do you really think so?"

Asuma clapped him on the back. "Don't worry. Everything will be fine."

=-=-=-=

Iruka groaned when a knock came to his door. Slowly blinking his eyes opened, he sat up, only to realize that he had fallen asleep in the couch the previous night and his joints were aching from the awkward sleeping position. He took a quick glance to his clock and was surprised that it was almost eleven in the late morning.

He stretched himself, feeling out the kinks in his joints. Another impatient knock came to the door and he stood up, shuffling tiredly to open the offending wood.

"Flowers delivery for you!" A bouquet of flowers was shoved into his face the moment he threw the door open. He blinked a couple of times to clear the vision of the glaring purple before he peered over the plants to regard the person holding them.

"Ino?"

The girl blinked a few times before she removed the bouquet out of her line of sight to look at the person carefully.

"Iruka-sensei!" The blonde haired girl grinned. "No wonder I found this place so familiar. But I guess I was in too much of a rush to figure it out properly. Anyway, here's a flower delivery for you!"

Iruka broke into a smile. "Oh, uh, thanks." He glanced at the big bouquet of purple hyacinths and eyed the girl strangely. "Um…… Are you sure you are delivering these flowers to the right place?"

"Yes." Ino frowned as she studied the piece of paper in her hand. "Father told me the order came in earlier and that I should have it delivered immediately. He was the one who gave me the address. It can't be wrong."

"Oh?" Iruka took the flowers warily. "Who is it from?"

"I don't know." Ino crossed her arms and appeared deep in thoughts. "Father refused to tell me who the sender was and said that my job was just to make sure that these flowers reached the intended recipient. But I did find it odd that out of so many different kinds of flowers suited to give to someone, the person would choose to give purple hyacinths."

Iruka raised an eyebrow. "And why is that?"

Ino giggled. "Purple hyacinths are meant to say 'I'm sorry' and it's also a flower to ask for forgiveness, Iruka-sensei. That person must have done you a great wrong to be giving you such a big bunch of them. That is, if he understood what the flowers meant."

A tinge of red crossed the chunin's cheeks when he realized just who might be the one to send the flowers. "Oh?"

"Right. Well, Iruka-sensei, I have to get back to the shop now. I will see you around!"

Iruka smiled and bade the girl goodbye. Then adjusting the flowers in his arm, he turned back into his apartment.

He sat down on the couch and laid the flowers on the coffee table, studying them silently. On one hand, it warmed his heart to know that Kakashi was taking such a gesture. But on the other, he almost wished that the jounin had made the trip to his apartment himself. The flowers were a nice touch, but what matters more would be the presence of the older man. That would assure him more than anything else that their relationship was still safe.

As he fingered the petals of the flowers absently, a soft smile crossed his face. At least all was not lost. He sighed and stood from his seat, heading towards the shower. Since Kakashi had already taken the first step to make amends, he should make the next move to show the jounin that he was ready to salvage this relationship too.

=-=-=-=

"Well, the hyacinths have been delivered." Inoichi smiled as he continued with his arrangements on a flower pot. "And I will prepare the other bouquet for you to pick up later."

Kakashi sighed. "Thanks."

"Are you sure that will work?" Asuma eyed the older Yamanaka skeptically. "Letting flowers do the talking. Not everyone will understand the meaning behind purple hyacinths."

Inoichi chuckled. "I know my daughter better than you do, Asuma. Trust me. When she finds out that the recipient is Iruka-sensei, she will not be able to resist showing off her knowledge about these flowers and will start to explain to him what it all means. She will not let the opportunity to show her ex-teacher on how well she has been doing after she had left the academy slip."

"Iruka is still pretty popular among his students huh?" Asuma grimaced, wondering how the chunin could handle his three students when he could barely stand them. "Those three brats of mine are constantly talking about him."

"So are mine." Kakashi stared blankly at the counter top where Inoichi was fixing the flower arrangement.

"Well, I wouldn't be surprised. When they were all in the academy, Iruka-sensei would always go out of his way to make sure his students are learning well, are doing well and that they are not struggling to catch up. There probably isn't another person as dedicated as him." Inoichi smiled. "I remembered there was a period of time when Ino wasn't doing too well in the academy and he would pop by every other day to coach her after school hours until she was able to catch it."

The older man glanced up at the two jounin. "His concern for them has gone beyond what is required of a teacher for his students. Those kids are like his children. He truly cared for their well-being."

"I know." Kakashi muttered.

"But still, you got mad with him over it." Asuma snorted.

Kakashi sighed. Inoichi chuckled and patted him on the shoulder comfortingly. "Don't worry. I'm sure everything will work out fine. Which couple doesn't fight with each other over disagreements? It's just a matter of how you fix the damages at the end of the day."

"Right. Well, I have to get going and make my plans." Kakashi straightened himself. "I will come by again later, Inoichi."

"Sure. Good luck." The older man smiled and nodded. Kakashi raised his hand in a half wave and walked out of the flower shop with Asuma.

=-=-=-=

Iruka opened the door to his apartment and trudged in. Sighing tiredly, he slumped into his couch and eyed the flowers that he had placed in the vase earlier on.

He couldn't find Kakashi anywhere, the jounin was not in his apartment, neither was he in any of the training fields that Iruka could think of. And no matter how the chunin had searched, he could find no trace of Team Seven either.

Iruka lay down on the couch. The most logical reasoning that he could come up with would be that the entire team had been out on a mission. He frowned. It seems that Kakashi had cancelled his leave with the Hokage without him knowing. Iruka was beginning to think that he had probably misunderstood the sender of the flowers that morning, because it does seem that Kakashi hadn't quite gotten over their conflict yet.

The thought stung. He stared at the clock, watching as the seconds ticked away. Two in the afternoon and if the team was out for a mission, it seemed that they won't be back till the late evening. That is, if it was just a simple D-rank assignment. If it wasn't, then it will probably take more than a day.

He closed his eyes and listened to the silence of the room. Well, it does seem like he would be spending his birthday alone. It hurts to think that his boyfriend would really leave him alone on this day. He sat up and sighed, deciding that he would probably drop by at the Hokage's office later and retract his application for his leave. After all, he wouldn't have anything in the next few days to keep himself occupied.

He glanced around his apartment. Perhaps, it's time for a little spring cleaning.

=-=-=-=

Iruka had just finished scrubbing his bathroom when a knock came to his door. He glanced at the wall, surprised to note that it was already four in the afternoon. Wiping his hands dry, he walked over to his front door and opened it.

"Happy birthday, Iruka-sensei!"

The chunin blinked in surprise at the three genin in front of him. Two of them were grinning broadly while the other stood behind them and gave him a curt nod.

"Naruto, Sakura, Sasuke." Iruka smiled. "What are you doing here?"

"We just came back from our mission." Sakura chirped. "And we thought we would come over and deliver your birthday presents to you."

"Yes yes!" Naruto heaved his backpack off his shoulders and shoved it in front of his teacher's face. "Everyone got you a present and we are tasked to deliver it to you!"

Iruka smiled and ruffled the blond locks. "Thank you. Would you like to come in?"

Naruto was about to jump at the opportunity when Sasuke grabbed him by the shoulders and pulled him back while Sakura slammed a hand over Naruto's mouth.

"No, Iruka-sensei. Thank you. But we would like you to come somewhere with us." The pink-haired girl smiled sweetly.

"Where?" Iruka eyed them suspiciously.

"Come with us and you will know." Naruto finally managed to pry off the hand over his mouth and he beamed at his teacher. "You won't regret this."

Iruka looked at himself, sweaty from all the cleaning earlier on and then he glanced at the children. He sighed. "Fine. I will trust you this time round. But do you think you can come in and wait for me for fifteen minutes? Let me get myself clean up and I can come with you."

Sakura and Naruto nodded. "We will wait for you, sensei."

"Good." Iruka smiled warmly. "Come on in."

=-=-=-=

Iruka walked down the streets with Naruto chatting animatedly beside him about their last mission and Sakura chirping in every once in a while. Sasuke walked in front of them, ignoring his teammates and his ex-teacher.

The chunin listened attentively as Naruto filled him in on the details for their mission that morning and how easy it had been that they had managed to finish it before half the day was gone. Then something struck him and he eyed his students.

"Where's Kakashi-sensei?"

All three genin stopped in their tracks. Naruto grinned happily. "Oh, he –"

"He's away on another mission." Sasuke cut in.

Naruto stared at his teammate confusedly. But Iruka was too disappointed to even notice it. He sighed. "I see."

Sasuke nodded curtly and began walking again with the other three following behind him. Naruto folded his arms and frowned.

"When did Kakashi –"

Sakura stepped up beside her blonde teammate and growled under her breathe. "Naruto, if you don't keep your mouth shut now, I will personally make sure that you won't be able to speak in the next two weeks."

Naruto shut up immediately. But he just didn't get what was going on with his teammates.

Just what was wrong with letting Iruka know that Kakashi was in town and was in fact the one who had gotten the three genin to pick Iruka up?

=-=-=-=

Iruka stared in surprise at the clearing before him. He turned to his three students and smiled. "Well, this is a nice place that you guys found."

"Yes." Sakura nodded as she spread a cloth on the grass. "It's beautiful, isn't it, Iruka-sensei?"

"Absolutely." Iruka stared at the little clear stream that ran along just a distance away from where he stood. Surrounding the clearing were trees that grew neatly side by side, with their flowers in full bloom.

"Well, I personally think this place is beautiful and romantic enough for a couple to dine in. Don't you think so, Iruka-sensei?" Sakura looked at the older man expectantly.

Iruka watched her for a moment before answering wistfully. "Yes, it is, Sakura."

Sakura shot Sasuke a look at the raven-haired boy nodded. Turning to her academy teacher, she grinned. "Iruka-sensei, wait for us here for a minute. We are going to get something and will be back shortly."

Iruka stared at them before nodding dumbly. Sakura gave him another smile before turning to tug at her blond teammate's collar.

"Let's go, Naruto."

"Right." The boy gave his teacher a toothy grin. "We will be right back, Iruka-sensei."

The chunin watched as the three genin walked away. He settled down on the cloth that Sakura had left on the grass and made himself comfortable as he enjoyed the scenery. The ambience was definitely suited for him on his day of relaxation.

And it would have been more perfect if he had his silver-haired boyfriend there with him.

=-=-=-=

It was almost ten minutes since the kids had left him alone in the clearing and Iruka was beginning to feel drowsy from the breeze that blew across his face every other minute. He lay on the cloth, enjoying the calm that was luring him into a state of slumber. He was almost dozing off when a weight landed beside him.

He opened his eyes, ready to mock his ex-students for taking so long in a simple task. But his voice caught in his throat when instead, he found himself staring into a single intense grey eye.

"Hey."

The chunin sat up immediately, eyeing the person in front of him cautiously. "Ka….. Kakashi?"

Kakashi eyed him for a minute before settling down a distance away from the younger man. He raked a hand through his silvery strands before turning to regard his lover.

Iruka turned away. "What are you doing here?"

A deep sigh was heard. Then there was a soft, almost inaudible muttering.

"I'm sorry."

Tears welled up in the chunin's eyes. Before he could even utter a word, strong arms wrapped around him and turned him around.

Kakashi reached up a hand and he brushed his thumb against the tanned cheek, wiping away the droplets that clung on to the chunin's face. He pulled down his mask and pressed his lips against the other cheek, kissing away the tears. Pulling back slightly, he eyed the younger man.

"I'm sorry, Iruka."

The chunin felt the days of tension came crashing through. He threw his arms around the older man's neck, burying his face into the broad shoulders. His shoulders shook as he tried to keep his sobs in check and he felt the older man's arms tightening around him.

"I don't mean what I said. I'm sorry I hurt you." Kakashi whispered into the younger man's ears as he rubbed along his back soothingly. "I don't care if you are a chunin, a jounin or the Hokage. To me, you are just Umino Iruka; the only person I will ever love."

Iruka tightened his grasp on the older man. He listened to the soft, soothing voice of Kakashi's as the older man whispered comforting, affectionate promises over and over again. Finally, when he had calmed down enough, he pulled back slightly and met the jounin's eye.

He reached up a hand and traced the chiseled jaw.

"I'm sorry too. I…. I shouldn't have….."

"It's alright, love." Kakashi held the hand on his cheek and pressed his lips against the knuckles. He smiled softly. "It's your birthday, so let's not talk about the unhappy memories."

"But Kakashi, I shouldn't have said what I did too. I….."

"Iruka, this is not the first time we quarreled. But this is probably the first time that we have exchanged such hurting words. And I'm probably the worst. I've said things I shouldn't have and had to let you go through the pain of thinking that our love was a mistake." Kakashi pressed a soft kiss on the chunin's lips. "This is not a mistake, Iruka. It never was." The jounin smiled softly. "It was my fault that I didn't try to make amends immediately. I'm sorry."

"But….." Iruka protested.

"Hey, didn't you agree with Sakura that this is a romantic and beautiful place for a couple to enjoy their day? So let's not spoil it with the solemn atmosphere." Kakashi's eye turned up in a smile.

Iruka smiled softly. "You are right." He leaned forward and planted a small kiss on the jounin's lips. "But still, I'm sorry. I didn't think about my words before I spoke. I know you've always placed the kids' lives before you and –"

Iruka was cut off when the jounin's lips pressed against his. It caught him by surprise, but a moment later, he recollected himself and began to relax into the kiss. Tongues battled for dominance as they relished in the taste of each other and rediscover the feelings which had been lost for days.

They broke apart when the need for air became too great. Kakashi tried to catch his breath as he gave the younger man a grin. "Well, that did shut you up."

"Shut up." Iruka blushed.

Kakashi chuckled as he stood up. "Give me a minute."

Iruka watched as the jounin disappeared amongst the trees. A moment later, Kakashi reappeared with a basket in hand and a bouquet of flowers in the other.

"This is for you." The copy nin's eye arched up as he handed the bouquet to the younger man. "Happy birthday."

Iruka fiddled with the roses and turned the Kakashi who was bringing out food from the basket and laying them out on the mat. "So, this morning, it was purple hyacinths and it meant apologies. Now, what does pink and white roses means?"

Kakashi chuckled and wrapped his arms around the chunin, drawing him close. "It means…." He released the hair tie from the ponytail and stroked the soft brown hair as he tightened his hold on the younger man. "….. I love you still and always will."

Iruka's gaze softened. "You've gotten better in conversing through flowers, it seems."

Kakashi grinned. "I'm a genius."

"It's not going to work every time." Iruka teased.

"Probably not. But as I said, I'm a genius. I will come up with new ways every time." He pressed a kiss on the tanned forehead. "But part of being a genius is also knowing not to make the same stupid mistake twice."

Iruka smiled softly as he toyed with the petals of the roses. "Thank you, Kashi."

"Anything for you." Kakashi swept the stray strand of hair from the chunin's face. "And I've booked a stay in a resort at the Hot Springs village. That's your birthday present. We will set off tomorrow morning."

Iruka smiled as he snuggled into the jounin's embrace. They sat in bliss for a minute or two, until Iruka jerked out of the hold.

"Where are the kids?"

Kakashi blinked. "What kids?"

"Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura. They said they are going to get something and would be back soon. But it's been so long. Do you think something happened to them?" Iruka's brows furrowed in worry.

Kakashi chuckled and pulled the chunin back into his embrace. "Their job was done here. There's no reason for them to hang around any longer."

"Job?"

"Yes. Their task was just to get you here." Kakashi ran his fingers through the soft brown strands. "And they have done that. They are probably enjoying their ramen now."

Iruka laughed softly as he relaxed into the hold. "You certainly know how to bribe them."

"Sasuke and Sakura are sharp about such matters. The only person I probably need to bribe in order for him to leave quietly is Naruto." Kakashi smiled. "But that boy was unexceptionally cooperative today. Which makes it all the easier for me."

"Naruto is not as dense as you think." Iruka smiled fondly. "He can be observant if he chose to."

"I know." Kakashi sighed. "But I think I would like him to utilize that ability more often."

Iruka chuckled. He laced his fingers with the jounin's and gave it a gentle squeeze.

Kakashi squeezed back and gave him a soft smile.

"Happy birthday, love."

=-=-=-=