Halcyon Days
How pleasant to sit on the beach,
On the beach, on the sand, in the sun,
With ocean galore within reach,
And nothing at all to be done!
-Ogden Nash
Summary: Once a year, Umino Iruka goes home.
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of its characters. I am not making any money from this. This is done purely for my own enjoyment.
Naruto knew something was wrong the minute he walked into the classroom and saw Ebisu sitting at the front desk. "Where is Iruka-sensei?" he demanded. He was not going to panic, he decided. There could have been any number of reasons Iruka-sensei was not there today that had nothing to do with violence or sickness or death. Naruto's overactive imagination had already gone into overdrive, imagining scenes of Iruka's body lying somewhere, covered in blood, never to be found…
"Iruka-sensei is on vacation for the next two weeks," Ebisu replied not bothering to look up, pushing his dark glasses further up the bridge of his nose. "Now please take your seat and behave properly." He turned back to the lecture notes he had prepared for the class.
Naruto didn't do as he was told, of course. Instead, he bolted from the classroom, adjusting the goggles on his head as he sped down the halls and out into the late fall sunlight, not hearing the angry protests from his classmates as he bumped into them on the way out. Two weeks! Naruto bit his lip in determination, trailing a wake of dust down the street to Iruka-sensei's house. Skidding to stop, he pounded on the door. He was nearly dancing with impatience when finally, finally Iruka opened the door.
"Naruto?" Iruka asked in surprise. "What's wrong? Why aren't you in school?" The teacher was dressed in his usual shinobi garb, minus his forehead protector.
"Iruka-sensei, where are you going?" Naruto demanded, trying to not let his question sound breathless and whiney.
Iruka smiled at Naruto with a fondness that made him unique in the village of Kohona. The only other person to smile at Naruto was the Hokage. He opened the door wider and let Naruto inside. This didn't need to be discussed in front of the entire village, he decided.
Showing the proper manners that Iruka had taught him, Naruto kicked off his sandals and followed his teacher into the kitchen. Naruto noticed a small backpack sitting near the door. Iruka was almost ready to leave.
"I am going to go visit my home in the Wave Country," Iruka said as he handed Naruto a can of soda from the small refrigerator. Outside the open window, the sun at its low angle, bathed everything in a golden glow. A few birds chirped but no enthusiasm. Winter was fast approaching and even though it didn't snow Kohona, the year was still dying.
"Your home is in the Wave Country?" Naruto asked in surprise as he slurped the soda. "I thought you lived here in Kohona."
"I do, but come from the Wave Country and I have friends that I like to visit," Iruka said, leaning against the counter. "So I go once a year." He glanced at the clock. "You are going to be very late for class young man. You cannot be skipping class if you want to become Hokage."
Naruto scowled, "Ebisu-sensei hates me," he said looking down at the can in his hands.
"No, he doesn't" Iruka replied firmly as he steered Naruto by the shoulder to the door. "When I get back, I expect to hear all about how well you did in class, and how good your manners are from Ebisu-san." It wasn't fair, Iruka knew. Ebisu didn't approve of Naruto and Naruto was perceptive enough to pick that up. He gently pushed Naruto out into the street. "Take care, Naruto-chan. It is only for two weeks, I will be back before you miss me," he said, closing the door before Naruto had a chance to protest. It was borderline rude but Iruka was running late as it was. He needed to get going.
Naruto stick out his lower lip, staring hard at the door. He hoped Iruka-sensei would change his mind, but that was a faint hope. Iruka was far more stubborn than his calm demeanor let on. Naruto suddenly smile as an idea hit him. He decided that he would follow Iruka–sensei to Wave country and meet Iruka's friends! Iruka-sensei wouldn't make him go home if Naruto didn't reveal himself until they were far away from the village, he reasoned.
He tossed the can into the air in delight and took off running full steam to his own modest apartment. He had to hurry and pack if he didn't want to be left behind.