Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, these are not my characters. On to my first story...

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Iruka could feel the rain on his cheeks, dripping from his soaked bangs and onto his nose, chin, and then falling to the ground. He heard soft splatterings as cool wind eerily whipped his ponytail on his cold neck. Falling to his knees in the grass he traced his fingers along the cool, wet stone. Familiar, beloved names reached up to carress him back, cold, dead, and hard as marble. Like the world, he thought. It was cold, wet, and emotionless as a shinobi was taught to be. But Iruka couldn't deny being drawn more to warmth, which is perhaps why he had taken to teaching at the academy, nurturing and sheltering the most innocent of the village. It drove him insane if he thought too hard about it, his decision to avoid being one of the names etched on the stone, and instead, train up young ninja only to watch their names appear. His finger moved lower, touching several deeply engrained, newer names, unworn by the rain, still a fresh and painful memory. Iruka suddenly felt aggravated at everything, and pulled back his hand as if he'd been burned. Standing up, he stepped back only to trip over something, or someone, who had managed to sneak up on him in his reverie.

"Umino Iruka." A rich voice drawled. Iruka stepped back to face a wet mask, shining silver dripping and whipping in the wind, and a knowing, piercing black eye.

"Hatake Kakashi. " Iruka responded, his voice sounding strangely calmer than he felt. What did one say to a fellow shinobi at a memorial, especially a jounin and former anbu who surely knew plenty of names on the cruel dark rock, who had surely come close to being exalted on the rock himself. Iruka faced the ground, then snuck a glance at his companion.

The Copy Nin kept a lazy posture, hands in his trousers, absurd book for once tucked away, leaning towards one hip, shoulders slumped, head slightly tilted upwards to the rain. Iruka was surprised to see that he had pulled his mask down over his scarred eyelid and was seemed to be enjoying the cool rain on his face. Looking at his relaxed face Iruka suddenly became aware that his thoughts had been interrupted and he was still feeling aggravated. Aggravated at the feelings he was not allowed to show, aggravated at the superior control of the warrior beside him, aggravated at his parents for leaving him, aggravated at the man at his side who was preventing his breaking of the shinobi rules. He wanted to cry, pound the rock, scream the unfairness of the village rules, just for a second, and then head back to revel in the love of those around him, laugh with Naruto, teach the children and try not to think about the names on the rock. He could feel it building. Why didn't Kakashi just leave, why was everything suddenly boiling.

"Damnit, DAMNIT." Iruked spat, emotions rising up and bubbling over. Why wouldn't Kakashi just leave. "I want to FEEL something. I want to show I feel something!" He fell forward onto his knees, and threw his fist forward, stopping just before he hit the rock, knowing it would be disrespectful.

"I don't care if I look like a lesser shinobi to you, but I have emotions! I have feelings, I have pain, I have love buried in this wretched piece of rock!" Iruka choked a bit, then regained control, breathing heavily.

Ashamed, he sat in the awkward silence.

"Feelings." Kakashi's voice saved him from the agonizing silence. "I want to feel something other than boredom, regret, and futility." A sigh. "I want to feel something other than loneliness." Kakashi crouched beside him, his eyes seemed to be smiling sadly. "I have no one else to give to this stone."

That's right, we're both orphans, thought Iruka, racking his memory for any information about the copy ninja. Iruka suddenly felt a bond with the jounin. He wondered for a moment what it was like when Kakashi came home from a mission to an empty home. He wondered if it was something like coming home from the academy to a dark house and an empty bed.

"You shouldn't be ashamed of your honesty." Kakashi interrupted his thoughts. "It's somehow…refreshing."

He saw Kakashi reach up and was shocked to see that he was pulling down his mask. His eyes were riveted as each feature was revealed. A straight nose and sharp jaw carved in pale skin, a hard sculpted mouth with a full upper lip. A handsome, no, hauntingly beautiful face, aristocratic and strong at the same time.

Iruka felt a stir of something for this man, this fellow shinobi? Perhaps this is what Kakashi had felt when he had watched Iruka pull off his mask of indifference, rant about his pain. Perhaps watching someone taking off their mask was enough to form an endearment, a trust. Kakashi seemed more vulnerable now, more human.

Suddenly Iruka felt dangerous, accepted. Suddenly he wanted to show more of himself. Looking around to assure that they were alone in the clearing, he pulled the band from his ponytail and felt his hair fall on his neck. He pulled off his vest then he pulled off his shirt, feeling rain pouring down his slender, tanned chest and stomach. The copy nin looked over, his mouth slightly curving, one eyebrow raising, as if to ask, "Is this a challenge?" He seemed to see his answer as he himself dropped his vest and reached for the hem of his shirt. Iruka watched as pale, scarred skin on a magnificent, marbled body was revealed inch by soaking wet inch. The water ran in rivulets between the hard muscles of Kakashi's chest and then down and around each abdominal muscle. He looked as refreshed and cleansed as Iruka felt. His eyes caught Iruka's and he stepped towards the chuunin. He reached for Iruka's hair, closed his eyes to the rain and felt the soft wet strands between his fingers.

Iruka closed his eyes, knowing this was strange, not himself, but simply enjoying the touch, the distraction. After all, Ninja weren't allowed to love, but sex, that was different. It was well known that release enhanced, rather than weakened, a ninja's strength. And sex between men, well let's just say that no one talked about it, but what happens on a mission stays on a mission. He felt Kakashi's cool hand dip to his neck, play with the hair there, then pull him towards him.