-1Authoress: alright! Back again with chapter two of our meandering story (read comments from the end of chapter one to understand that one…) soooo…of course, I'll take requests if anyone wants a particular pairing to show up…unless it's one that just plain creeps me out too much (and that's a difficult thing to do, let me tell you!)…or if it won't fit into the story…kay!

Gaara:…if you write something about m--- /ducks as a pot of tea is thrown in his direction/

Authoress: I'm very hungry…am on a caffeine binge (they think it'll end my insomnia if I have no kind of caffeine whatsoever…and I'm a coffee addict…so this is fun…hehehe…now I'm high of Yaoi! WHOO HOO!…I'd say life…but…being sick all the time…how I hate fainting and that whole headache thing… (and living in the middle of nowhere) pretty much takes away the whole ' high on life' thing…heheh…

Iruka: is that why you wrote about me passing out?

Authoress: it's best to write about what you know, or experienced…and I'm quite experienced in the illness and unconscious flirting areas…/whispers/ don't flirt with your best friend's boyfriend…then make out with them…it doesn't end well…just a hint for all those other flirts out there…

Iruka: how could you pair those two things together…and make me BOTH!

Authoress: becauuuuuse…you never see much of Iruka in the manga or anime…unless they're making him out to be a complete wuss…which he is totally NOT…Iruka could whip anyone's ass anytime of day…just give him some motivation……./throws hands in the air/ I'm not gonna drink any more of my blackberry tea…it's starting to have an uplifting (in a high sort of way) effect on me…

Disclaimer: …now really…I'm the creator of Naruto…and just wanted to mess with my own story a lil', because I love Iruka that much, but never put him and Kakashi together (with definite evidence) in the series…if you believed that…that's just plain sad…/smiles/ I don't own squat…except for the massive amount of anime stuff I have hanging around my house…hehehe…

Chapter Two:

(Iruka's POV)

"Iruka-sensei!" I glanced up from the scroll I had been grading. I slid off of the comfortable couch with a speed that only years of experience had given me as a blur of orange flew into the back of my cushioned seat. Raising an eyebrow, I waited until Naruto sat up, mumbling 'itai dattebayo' to himself as he rubbed his head.

"Naruto-kun? Aren't you supposed to be training?" I asked, my curiosity getting the better of me when I saw a glimmer in Naruto's eyes. A glimmer that had, in earlier days, always meant trouble for both of us-mostly me since I was his guardian. And what a job I did raising him…he's a hoodlum just like I was…I thought to myself as I smiled at the boy. Also, like me, he had begun growing out of his prankster ways and actually began trying to be a great shinobi--someone who I was very proud of.

"I was, Iruka-sensei! Demo…I did it! You should have seen Ero-sennin's face!" I knew by now, my raised eyebrow must have been high enough to touch my hitai-ate as I studied my former-pupil's grinning face. He did it? He told me he was learning a summoning jutsu…he actually did it! I smiled at this thought, but wasn't at all surprised at Naruto's progress. When he actually put his mind to something, he was a quick learner-as long as he was threatened with the torturous 'I'll never treat you to ramen again' statement.

"That's wonderful, Naruto!" I exclaimed with enough enthusiasm and pride to rival the blonde on my couch. He smirked in the way only Naruto could as he looked up at me, waiting for me to say those dreaded words that always left a large dent in my wallet. "…why don't we go out for ramen to celebrate?"

"YOSH!" I stepped back as the energetic thirteen-year old bounced off of the couch and began flying towards the door with a 'last one there has to pay' battle cry. I smiled, waiting as he raced through my front door, leaving it open in his haste (like he usually did). That might be one of the reasons I never got into the habit of locking my door unless I knew for certain Naruto wouldn't be coming over. It would just be a waste of broken locks and hinges otherwise, on one hand. On the other…those locks would never be used if Naruto had failed his Genin exams-he'd be pretty much living in my house if I hadn't passed him. I counted to ten as slowly as possible, which meant taking my time with fractions, before I used a well-molded string of chakra to push the door shut. I then took a deep breath, closing my eyes before I used a small portion of my chakra to wrap around my feet and legs. I waited until that chakra had finished weaving itself around my entire body, its swirling energy making my loose pants to ripple slightly. I didn't need to open my eyes to know that the wave-like blue energy was actually visible, which was unusual for other shinobi. Almost everyone I had ever met who knew jutsu like this could make their chakra invisible, but I just found it a waste of effort as well as something that slowed down the entire teleportation.

With a burst of speed thanks to years of teaching hyper, armed children, as well as the past few weeks of training with Gai, I brought my hands up to my chest and formed a few quick, familiar, seals. I pictured the front of Ichiraku's, a well-known image in my mind, and with a gust of wind and poof of smoke, I opened my eyes stepped into the ramen stand. Almost an instant after I sat down and flagged the owner down, my lips curved upwards as I heard faint screams from outside the tiny restaurant, followed by cursing and 'watch where you're going!'

"EEEEHHH?" I turned around in my stool, my smile breaking into a full grin when I saw Naruto's mouth drop open. "I-I-Iruka-sensei! How did you get here before me!" I nearly laughed at this. In all the years we had been together, Naruto had yet to figure out half the time we 'raced,' I used a teleportation jutsu just to mess with his mind. It gave me a small pleasure to see him with amazement in his eyes, and a gaping mouth.

"You're still too slow, Naruto-kun," I replied, turning back in my seat when I heard the wonderful sound of two bowls being set down on the counter. The owner knew me well enough to remember my favorite choice of ramen-miso pork, and also knew that, when I appeared due to a jutsu, or with the speed of a shinobi with a mission, that meant Naruto would soon follow. The old man smiled pleasantly as Naruto took a seat to my right and looked down at his steaming bowl, curiosity still filling his blue eyes. He looked up at me with that pitiful look, one that was one of my few weaknesses. I sighed and looked away, putting on a thoughtful face-for appearances only. I had no intention of making the blonde pay for his own celebratory meal, but the race here was always fun.

"Alright, I'll pay, but next time you take so long, you're treating me," I replied, grabbing the counter as Naruto flung himself into my torso, squeezing until I was sure I had lost the ability to breathe. Once he finally released me, with an 'arigatou, sensei' (one of my lessons that actually stuck with him while I was around), I took a deep breath and smiled at the boy. I never admitted it to Naruto, or anyone else for that matter, but I was as much of a ramen junkie as Naruto was…and had been one for far longer than him. If it hadn't been for the fact that I worked late, got up early, never took a day off unless Naruto was seriously sick, and stashed most of my money away for presents for the blonde as well as an 'allowance,' which he still got even after he begged me to stop treating him like a child, I'd eat ramen every day, for all three meals (and maybe a few snacks on weekends). I sighed inwardly, remembering how much it hurt when Naruto finally decided to get his own apartment. It was only a few blocks away from mine, but in those first few months, I hardly went home, even to sleep, because the thought of an empty, quiet house was too hard for me. It had gotten easier as Naruto had gotten older, making 'friends' with a few children in his class. In a way, that assured me that he wouldn't be alone all the time, like I so often was. Even now, nostalgia filled me every time I walked into my own house, only to be overcome with annoyance when I noticed that Naruto had been over at some point in my absence-leaving scrolls, cushions, and instant ramen cups laying around the apartment floor. He was as much of a pig as I was at his age, but I prayed he would grow out of it like I did…or else I would always be wondering about his health. Last time he came to me because he was ill, I discovered he had drank old milk…something I had done when I was young as well…and actually pitied him as he flew through my front door and headed straight towards the bathroom without so much as a word.

"Oi…Iruka-nii…" That honorific caught my attention immediately, since Naruto hadn't called me that, unless he needed something, since he was about six. From the tone of his voice, I knew this was something important to him-not like all the times he begged for answers to the next big test-so I put my chopsticks down and looked at the boy. I was surprised to see a faint blush on his cheeks.

"What is it, Naruto?" I could see he was biting his inner cheeks, a nervous habit of his that had been showing itself less and less as he became more confident in himself. Seeing him like this made all of my paternal/brotherly instincts kick into full gear. "Is something wrong?"

"…iie…I was just wondering….umm…." Naruto's faint blush blew into a full reddening of his face as he looked away from me and his shoulders tensed. "This morning…ero-sennin…wanted me to hug a girl I liked…I-I went to hug Sakura-chan…demo…" The color on the back of his neck flared up to a color that clashed terribly with his orange jumpsuit. "I…I…"

My eyebrow raised at this. Naruto never stuttered like this, when talking to me, unless something was terribly wrong. "What happened Naruto?" I asked, inwardly praying that 'it' didn't occur. I wasn't ready to have such a talk with the teen…it would be far too embarrassing on my part. Too embarrassing not because I had a problem with the contents of the 'talk,' but that I knew just about as much as I taught my students about human reproduction. If it was time to chat to Naruto about the wonders of sex, I would have to go to a higher (in other words, more perverse) power, which meant either going to Kakashi, Jiraya-sama, or the Hokage. Not one of which I wanted to admit my lack of knowledge to. They would never let me live the fact of my intact virginity down…unless… I knew with that thought, my face must have colored enough to rival Naruto's.

"I…I was thinking…that Ero-sennin…said a girl I loved…demo…I…I don't think I like Sakura-chan like that anymore…" Naruto said softly as he turned back to look at me. I breathed a sigh of relief, thanking whatever god that existed that it hadn't been 'time' yet. The corner of my lips twitched upwards, which I knew Naruto would see as a silent 'and?' "And…I realized…that I like someone else like that…"

My inward fears came back with a vengeance…if he found someone he had fallen in love with…he was old enough now to have such a relationship that would probably end up in spending nights in another person's bed. I couldn't forbid him from having a girlfriend and, against what my overly possessive-and protective-mind believed, I would take his relationship in stride and try my best to like this person…no matter who she was. My brow furrowed when I saw the confused glimmer in Naruto's eyes. He was trying to say something else, but had yet to find the words. "Who do you like, Naruto?"

"…will you be mad at me, Iruka-nii?"

"Of course not!" I exclaimed, surprised with Naruto's question. Something told me that there was something about this person Naruto knew I wouldn't like…but what? Short of falling in love with someone inherently evil, myself, or Sasuke (who would be sure to kill Naruto if he ever found out), I would accept anyone he loved as another part of our unconventional family…after I was able to have a small talk with this person, to make sure they wouldn't hurt Naruto, of course. I decided, as I saw his nervous expression, that I would have to start thinking of a way to have a 'chat' with his lover…and sharpen a few kunai before that talk. "What would make you think that I'd be mad at you? You can tell me who she is."

"…weeeeell…" Naruto glanced up at the ceiling, his blush fading slightly. "…it's not a she…" With that comment, his eyes shifted towards the other side of the ceiling and he glared at it. Huffing loudly, he continued, "even though he's girly enough to be called one!" That little statement made my heart sink…there was only one person who Naruto had ever used that tone with…and who was on my list of 'pricks' along with Kakashi (who had somehow lowered his status from 'super prick' a few weeks ago when he helped me with my groceries) and a few other jounin, mainly the female population who were always trying to set me up with someone new every other week. I had yet to find anyone of their choice, from a broad spectrum of shinobi and civilians, even vaguely interesting.

"Are you sure…you're…in love with him?" I asked softly, hoping it was just a hormonal phase on Naruto's part, but knew in the recesses of my mind that there was always an odd connection between those two. Now all I could do was pray Sasuke had a heart somewhere underneath all of that icy exterior and that he had a small, hidden secret that he was madly in love with Naruto. Fat chance…I thought to myself as I watched Naruto look down at his cooling ramen. He nodded his head, going back to biting his inner cheek. I sighed, wishing I had thought of a comeback to something like this a long time ago. "Does…he feel the same?"

"…never…he thinks I'm some kind of idiot…" Naruto said softly, using his chopsticks to push at the soft noodles. I could tell from the hopeless tone in his voice that Naruto had already realized that his affections were going to be rejected, probably in the most hurtful way Sasuke could think of at that moment.

"Then he doesn't deserve you," I replied, gently elbowing my little 'brother's' shoulder. He looked up at me, but didn't smile like he usually did. "You're still young, Naruto…there's going to be quite a few people you'll like…and," I stopped as I winked at him, "I know you'll be a heartbreaker in a few years." Naruto smiled at this as he let out a breath of air he had been holding in.

"What about you, Iruka-sensei? Everyone loves you…but…you're always alone…" Naruto commented, knowing he hit a nerve as he looked up at me with watery eyes. "…You should find someone…I know for a fact that that flea-ball's older sister has a thing for you…" Kiba's older sister, an old classmate of mine, was far from what I'd pick for a girlfriend, so I just shook my head as I smiled. Naruto knew about the attempts the shinobi community was making to find me a partner, and actually helped them at times by giving otherwise secrets about my personality. For example, everyone had found out from my blabbermouth 'brother' that I didn't go for looks, but for brains, that I hated the whole 'dolphin' thing…it was far overplayed-I knew I shared a name with a watery mammal, but actually couldn't stand having dolphins furnishing my desk during the gift-giving times of year-, even the fact that I preferred to walk around in my boxers before going to bed became my growing 'fan-club's' favorite quirk about me. This infamous fan-club consisted of all the female jounin (as well as a few males), and most chuunin, who had nothing better to do with their free time than try to make their candidates for my dates accidentally run into me. They had gone far enough as to plant their choices into my classroom, Ichiraku's, even in my own house when all else failed.

"Naruto…you're already enough to fill my spare time…anyways…I want to meet someone without any interference…" It has to be fate that brings us together…I added to myself as I watched Naruto's hopeful expression fall. He had desperately wanted me to meet someone, despite the fact he knew nothing about the whole 'after the date is over' scenario. I knew I was a hopeless romantic…I wanted to meet someone that took my breath away, who filled every thought…who I would actually want to spend time with. Someone who wouldn't mind that I was as quirky as Naruto…who could take my jokes at face value-and have me laugh at a few of their antics. A person who could accept that I wasn't someone who would race into a sexual relationship, no matter how alluring and flirtatious they was, but would prefer to spend time sitting at the kitchen table talking about one jutsu or another, or even politics, without being bored. Someone like that had yet to fall into my life. And, short of a miracle, it wasn't going to happen in my lifetime, either.

"I know…but when I become Hokage…I'll order you to find someone, or else I'll force you to live with…" Naruto put on a thoughtful face-which was kind of ironic in itself-then smiled evilly. "Kakashi-sensei…." He burst out laughing at this, his earlier depression fleeing from his thoughts as he ducked before he got caught by a quick slap on my part. I couldn't help but smile at this. There was no other person who was least likely to be 'the one' than Kakashi. I had known for some time, since I was about fourteen, that I had no particular attraction towards either gender, which left open the option that my soul mate was male. It was an epiphany that had startled me at the time, considering I had always been taught that it was 'natural' to fall in love and marry a nice girl, but I had gotten use to the idea since then and now fully accepted that fact. This small truth about myself was still a secret between myself and Naruto-he would never go as far as to betray my trust and tell someone such a thing-so no one ever knew I wouldn't mind a male companion. Perhaps that was why Naruto had such a smile on his face right now. He knew that, if it wasn't for Kakashi's lazy personality, he probably would have been someone I could stand.

Naruto could tell, ever since the chuunin exams began, that I actually didn't mind Kakashi as much as I allowed people to believe. Naruto had picked up the odd habit that every now and then, he would slide his hitai-ate over one eye and cover his mouth with his jacket, then imitate Kakashi's odd 'eye-smile' that he did so often. Thankfully, he only did this when we were alone, which left me able to become flustered without having to try hiding the fact I was turning all shades of red and stammering that 'Kakashi's only a friend!' He was just that, in my mind. I knew from the gossip vine that Kakashi was about as romantic as a stone, and just as interesting as one after you got over the novelty of his infamy and perversions-that small detail was one of the things that annoyed me more than anything else about the jounin. That, and his secretive nature, and that I could tell he didn't trust people as much as they believed he did, gave me another reason to cross him off the 'possibilities.' He was far to jumpy at times, carefree at others…and positively lazy. He was almost sadistic to this three students, from what I've heard from Naruto, but he was admired by all three-and I still wondered why they actually did respect the pervert-and he was also too emotionless…like a real shinobi should be when on a mission, but Kakashi's only problem was that his attitude was something that continued long after the missions were over. I doubted that his smiles were actually genuine after having been near him a few, brief, times.

I looked away from my smirking student, only to hear a voice that made my body freeze as I began sweating, wondering how much of the conversation he caught. "Maa…you're talking about me behind my back, Naruto…"

"…ehehee…Kakashi-sensei…" Naruto turned around in his stool as I wished that I could drown myself in my, now cold, bowl of ramen. The last time I was face to face with Kakashi…was, well…it wasn't pretty.

/Flashback….still Iruka's POV, though…/

I slowly drifted into consciousness, something that I found pleasure in doing when it was the weekends, or whenever there was a holiday. Otherwise, I would jump out of the bed before my eyes were even open in order to get ready and be at the academy before the sun rose. I shifted slightly, noticing that, through my closed eyelids, I could see it was quite bright outside…brighter than it should be at six in the morning, when I got up on lazy days such as this. I cracked an eye open and looked at my window, glaring at the blinding sun that I could see in the sky through the blinds. The position of the sun only meant that I…for the first time since I was about ten…had overslept. I began to pull off my blankets, but froze when I discovered my arms weren't moving like they should have. On the contrary, my entire body was so tightly wrapped in blankets that I couldn't move enough to even loosen the cotton's death grip on my half-naked frame. Those two discoveries, along with the oversleeping, made me nervous. First, I never wrapped myself in blankets, I actually hated to sleep with sheets on the bed at all, so I just folded them all down to the foot of my bed at night, second, as much as I preferred to walk around in my underwear while I was in my own house, I never fell asleep unless I was in my pajamas-currently a pair of walrus PJs that Naruto had given to me for my birthday last year. They were cute, comfortable, and there wasn't a dolphin in sight, so I had already begun wearing them out to the point they reminded me of some type of rag I used for cleaning…but they were oh-so comfy in their pitiful state.

As I fought with the blankets for a second, unsuccessful, time, I tried to remember what had happened last night. The last thing I remember…is…Gai…oh…dear…kami-sama…KAKASHI!…he was still here when I passed out…which means…one of them…I blushed at this thought, realizing that no one but my parents and Naruto had ever seen me with so few articles of clothing on before. I didn't really mind if it was Gai who did the stripping…he would never take advantage of me, but Kakashi on the other hand…I had no misconceptions about his values…and had a good idea what he'd do if he had the chance to see me so unclothed, which made me blush even more.

"You're finally awake, Iruka-sensei…" That voice drifted to my ears, with his cheerful tone, and I nearly snarled back, the aggravation of being trapped in my own blankets finally starting to get to me. I lifted my head enough to see Kakashi leaning against the frame of my bedroom's door, his eye curved upwards and his arms folded across his chest, with an orange book in one hand. "I was beginning to wonder if you were okay…sleeping so long…"

"What time is it?" I asked as politely as I could, smiling to myself when I found a weakness in the sheets' grasp, right around my behind. I was slightly pleased at this thought, realizing that Kakashi must have tucked me in, but had been 'gentlemanly' enough to refrain from touching my ass, but nothing could redeem Kakashi when I heard his reply to my question.

"It is eleven o'clock on Friday, Iruka-sensei…" It wasn't so much the eleven o'clock part of his statement that had my flinging off the rest of my sheets with the mindset 'to hell if he sees me half-naked again,' but was the Friday bit. Fridays meant classes…classes that currently didn't have a teacher. He must have understood what had gotten me moving so quickly, as he pushed himself off of the doorframe and I could feel his eye follow me as I quickly made my bed, then went in search of a clean set of clothes.

"I already told the academy you wouldn't be in today…Ebisu said he'd take over your class for a few days." Kakashi took a step into the room, which made me turn around abruptly, and I knew I was glaring at him. I guessed he was caught aback from my response, considering he actually froze in mid-step and stood frozen as he studied me. "What's wrong, Iruka-sensei?"

"You…you had no right to tell them I was taking a day off!" I retorted, knowing that I probably would have done the same thing if I had been in his position, or if I had woken up a little earlier, but I was always someone who was a more 'vent now, apologize later' kind of person. The one thing that I hated most about people was when they assumed things about me…or did something that concerned me without my permission.

"You have been unconscious for over twelve hours…I had tried waking you up earlier to ask if you wanted to stay home today, but since you didn't wake up, I decided you were in no shape to teach brat-" Kakashi actually stopped before he had even fully uttered the word, his eye fixed on my face-my angered expression to be exact.

"Brats?" I repeated coldly, one fist tightening at my side as I turned away from him, trying to hide the fact I was swaying slightly. It was probably just due to my exhaustion and lack of food for almost a full day, but part of it was my current temperament. Nothing made me aggravated more quickly than having someone call the future of our village 'brats.' I had been called that enough as a child and, as much as I hated to admit it to myself, let alone anyone else, it was a topic that I never wanted reopened, especially by this perverse asshole of a jounin.

"Iruka-sensei…you're in no shape to-" I cut him off with a huff even before he got a chance to even begin to rescue himself from the figurative hole he was digging. I cracked my knuckles as I picked my weaponry carefully, taking my time to make my wording as hurtful as I could.

"No shape? I, unlike you, actually care enough about what I do to take time from my life to attempt to do my duty. While you may be a outstanding shinobi, you are a despicable human being, so I don't expect you to understand what it means to actually like what you do, or even care about your students enough to see them as more than just a burden…or brats. Unless I have a contagious disease, or I am literally dying, I am in enough shape to teach my classes. My students trust me enough to expect me to be on time, every day, no matter what the weather or what happens to me. It was my choice to train yesterday to the point of exhaustion, and it is my choice if I am able to take on classes, not some bastard who doesn't even care enough about his own students to show up most days…" I had at least twelve or thirteen more comments that I wanted to add, but caught a glimpse of Kakashi's reaction. He was downright pissed. I didn't have to use any effort to realize that his Sharingan was spinning at an amazing speed underneath his hitai-ate, I could feel his chakra levels rising and his usually cheerful eye slanted dangerously. A murderous-intent was flowing off of him in such excess, I could see a few plants around my room were beginning to wither. I must have hit a few nerves with one, or more, of my comments.

I was afraid, for a moment, that he would say something to try saving himself, which probably would only lead me to badmouth him further, and this angry cycle would continue for some time, but was somewhat relieved when I saw him shift his body, preparing to move. I closed my eyes, knowing that someone of Kakashi's abilities would be faster than the normal human eye could see, so I instead used my other senses to judge his attack as he flew at me in a burst of chakra. His speed was incredible, but I was easily able to track his movements as he circled me, his feet hardly even touching the wooden floor, which made my sense of hearing useless. I took a deep breath, noting a definite change in his chakra. Almost all of his extra energy flew to his feet and right arm and, in a burst of speed that could only be described as amazing, he closed the distance between us, his body coming towards me from directly in front of me. Mistake one…I thought to myself as I bent over backwards slowly, teasing him with the fact I easily was able to dodge his fist. I didn't get the chance to revel in my small victory as one knee came towards the small of my back.

Again, I twisted my body in an almost gravity-defying move in order to dodge. This time, I used the fact I was a closet-contortionist to my advantage as I bent, literally, in double and caught his leg with my open hands, using one leg to plant a firm kick into his ribcage as the other wrapped around his other leg and pulled him to the ground. Before he even began to fall to the ground, Kakashi wrenched himself out of my grip and flew backwards. He remained still, nearly two meters away from me, as I rolled back up into a standing position, my shoulders and vertebrae cracking loudly as I did so-it probably would have been better to stretch before attempting that particular move. From the change in his expression, now wary anger instead of blind hatred, I could tell he was surprised I was able to land a hit without actually being harmed myself. He underestimated me and knew it…which led him to his next movement, bringing his hand up to shift the position of his hitai-ate.

I couldn't help but realize how much fun it would be to actually see how I measured up to the Copycat-Ninja, to see if he was able to guess my Bloodline Limit, let alone copy it, and if the Sharingan really was as powerful as some believed. I saw it as a weakness, personally. No one with the Sharingan that I knew of, except for Uchiha Itachi had ever actually become an amazing shinobi without relying completely on their eyes. He was a genius even without his family's heritage, which made me watch Kakashi with caution. It was rumored he was a genius as well.

I looked at Kakashi's mismatched eyes, my gaze flickering towards the spinning red orb as he took a calculated step towards me. I was astonished at the difference uncovering his Sharingan had done. Not only did his movements change completely, but his chakra control became perfect in every sense of the term. I knew I was looking at a master and smiled at this fact as he rushed towards me again. I felt his fist land in my stomach even before I got a chance to register he moved, but my reaction was just as quick as he was. I brought up my hand and punched the one unprotected part of Kakashi, his face. I couldn't stop myself from smirking when I felt an unusual crunch beneath my knuckles as they came in contact with his nose, and again when I saw him back up a step, a hand flying to his nose.

My momentary high from my small victory was short-lived as I felt my legs giving out. I inwardly cursed, remembering that I was weak enough last night to pass out twice and I wasn't used to such drains on my physical energies in such a short period of time. At that moment, as I began falling to the ground, I realized I was too exhausted to even lift my arms in my own defense when Kakashi, quick to recover from his broken nose, caught me by the neck before I had a chance to land on the floor and easily picked me up to his eyelevel as he tightened his grip around my neck. From the sheer force that Kakashi was exerting on my neck, I knew he was going to leave bruises if he didn't snap it first. I gasped for air, but was fruitless in my attempts to regain enough oxygen to stop the onslaught of blackness. I closed my eyes slowly, wondering how it was I was so easily beaten by this lazy jounin, and couldn't stop myself from marveling that my death would be far earlier than I expected. As I felt the last bit of energy leave my body, and the pain in my head become unbearable, the murderous grip on my neck loosened and I slid to the floor.

I gasped for breath between coughs as I remained lying on the floor, distinctly aware of the fact that Kakashi was still standing closely to me. I forced myself to open my eyes long enough to look at him and was surprised to see that that cold hatred was gone from his eyes. Instead, there was only amazement…and a slight fear as he looked down at me, then to his shaking right hand. Once I regained the ability to take a full breath, I slowly sat up, leaning on both arms for needed support. I looked up at Kakashi long enough to see his that his left hand, the one that had been covering his broken nose only moments before, was soaked in red, and I could see his mask was soaked though with his own blood as well.

I tried to think of something to say, besides an apology, since that would have been just plain stupid at the moment. I didn't just insult him, I broke his nose badly, but he in turn nearly killed me, so, in a way, we were even. I opened my mouth, deciding it would be safe enough to ask if he was alright, but even before the first syllable left me, he was gone in a puff of smoke. Shimatta…I didn't mean to…blow up at him…that badly…I slowly got to my feet, my legs shaking as I shuffled towards my bed, then sat down on it with a sigh. Great…I assaulted a jounin…because he was worried about me…but he did start the fight… I bit my lip, knowing that there was no reason to blame Kakashi for this, I had started the entire thing. I never knew when to just let things lay well enough alone. I fell back onto my bed and looked up at my ceiling until I fell into a fitful sleep.

/End Flashback…(A/N: now wasn't that fun?)/

"Oi, Kakashi-sensei, what are you doing here?" Naruto asked, glaring at Kakashi. I couldn't bring myself to look at him…my conscience was too guilty. His nose probably was still aching and he probably had gotten black eyes to boot, but those would have faded by now, but the broken cartilage was longer to repair. Unless he had gone to the hospital for a healing jutsu, but then he would have had to explain where he had gotten it from…and I had yet to hear that someone found out Kakashi had been in a fight, let alone a fight with me.

"Maa…Naruto, I wanted to talk to Iruka-sensei…" My back stiffened at that statement and I glanced at Naruto, who was giving me a sly grin. I gave him my best pleading puppy-dog look, but Naruto ignored my obvious request to not leave me alone with Kakashi. He slid off of his stool and his hand brushed my shoulder as he leaned towards me and whispered into my ear.

"You better tell me what you did later, Iruka-nii…" I turned in my seat enough to glare at Naruto's back as he left the ramen stand, then went back to poking at my ramen. I didn't look up until I was certain Kakashi was sitting in the stool vacated by the blonde. He waited until my eyes met his before he sighed.

"…about…the other day…I-"

"It was my fault…I went too far…gomen nasai…" I said softly, glancing back down at my ramen as I said my apology. I couldn't even look at him, my conscience was so guilty. He didn't deserve the broken nose, or whatever other bruises I had given him, but I noticed my apology did nothing to calm him down. He was radiating anxiety as he turned his stool so that he was facing me instead of the counter.

"Iie…I…I…nearly killed you…."

"I deserved it for being such a prick…" I replied, smiling sardonically at my ramen. And here I was, thinking he was the biggest prick of all time, whereas I was far worse than him. He had yet to insult me, even though I had warranted it. "Um…how's your nose?"

"You broke it…and two ribs…thankfully Anko knows enough about healing jutsu to mend them a little…" I watched him, noticing that he was sitting perfectly straight, but leaned forward as he flagged down the owner and ordered a bowl of ramen. As he did so, I could see his muscles were tightening in pain. Those ribs were still not healed completely, so they must have stung quite a bit, and for his nose…I winced as I remembered the one time I had broken my nose. It had been years ago, and I had immediately gotten a medic nin to fix it, but it had ached terribly at the time. I couldn't imagine having to walk around with that pain for days on end because I was too proud to go see a proper medical person.

"Gomen…"

"Don't apologize…you just made me realize I underestimated you…" Kakashi, turning to look at me, curved his eye upwards, but not without a slight wince on his part. "…I've been…thinking for the past few days…I…I want to apologize…for whatever I did…that upset you…" I raised an eyebrow. This was just pitiful…he was trying to make up with me, even though I didn't really like him that much to begin with. I sighed, having to acknowledge the attempt, and smiled.

"No apologies necessary…but could I do something about your nose and ribs? I'm no medic nin, but I know enough to mend bones and fix noses…it comes in handy when you have about forty children to watch over…" I could see, through the fabric of his mask, that Kakashi had smiled at that, and was surprised to see him nod.

"Anko refused to do more than set the bones since I wouldn't tell her what happened…" Kakashi commented as he turned towards his food, his back stiff as he pulled the bowl closer to himself so he wouldn't have to bend. I looked away, knowing that it would be rude to watch him eat after he had put so much time into keeping his face hidden from everyone. I studied the piece of pork floating in my bowl for a moment, surprised that it only took Kakashi that moment to eat his entire bowl of ramen. I looked back at him when I heard his chopsticks clink against the bowl. He was readjusting his mask, but I still caught a glimpse of a very painful-looking bruise on the side of his nose, that stretched across his left cheek. "So, what was Naruto saying about me?"

I looked at Kakashi, wondering what he was talking about, but then remembered what Naruto and my conversation had ended on. My face flushed as I turned my face away from Kakashi, digging into my vest for my wallet. "…nothing…"

"Maa, Iruka-sensei…that makes me even more curious…" Kakashi moaned as he slid a hand into his own vest and pulled out his wallet before I had a chance to locate mine. I watched him through lidded eyes as he placed money on the counter. Being such a good customer at the ramen stand, I knew that was far overpaying one bowl. It was enough for three and then some. Mate…he's paying for our ramen?…it's kind of a sweet gesture…I thought to myself but still took out my wallet and fingered through the bills in there. Naruto raided it again…he's going to get it one of these days…I thought to myself as I began to pull out enough to cover my bill, but froze when I felt a warm hand brush against my own. I looked down and a small smile crossed my lips when I saw Kakashi's larger hand wrapped around mine, pushing the money back into my wallet. "My treat…"

"Kaka-" I somehow lost my voice as I watched Kakashi smile, or what I assumed was a smile, since I couldn't see his mouth very well at this angle. Somehow, I could tell this smile wasn't one of his fake grins, but an actual expression of pleasure. I looked at the visible part of his face and wondered how I had overlooked the fact he was quite handsome, even though I had no idea what the rest of his face looked like. I pondered over this and noticed that Kakashi was watching me oddly. I didn't realize until I had regained the ability to move that his hand was still resting on mine. Kakashi, who had obviously forgotten about this fact as well, glanced down at our hands and quickly pulled away. I could see, around the top of his mask, his face was turning pink and his hand went behind his head as he smiled, only what could be called, sheepishly.

"…sumimasen, Iruka-sensei…" Kakashi said softly, a slight chuckle coming out underneath his words. I smiled, knowing that my blush wasn't that noticeable-I loved having dark skin-and slowly got off of my stool, waiting until Kakashi had done the same, then began walking towards my home. "So, what did Naruto say about me?"

"You won't let it go, will you?" I asked, glancing over at Kakashi, who shook his head smugly, his eye still curved upwards. He was amused by the fact this question was making me flustered…and he probably had a pretty good idea why. "It was nothing, really…"

"Iruka-sensei! That's not fair! I wanna know!" Kakashi pouted, with his arms folded across his chest, which only made me smirk. If he had known what Naruto had said, I would never be able to show my face in public again. Naruto knew Kakashi far better than I did…and he seemed to think we would be great together…but why was far beyond me. I merely shook my head and quickened my pace back towards my apartment, leaving Kakashi to whine in my wake.

"Coming, Kakashi-sensei?" I called back, only slowing my ground-consuming stride enough that Kakashi was able to catch up with me in a few seconds. With his legs, he could easily outdistance me in minutes, but we quickly fell into a comfortable pace.

"So…how have you been doing, Iruka-sensei?" Kakashi asked, his eye landing on me before he quickly looked away. I smiled, trying not to make it obvious I knew he was watching me. Or that he was still blushing.

"Alright…I'm still a little bruised, but other than that…fine," I replied truthfully. I didn't mean to mention the bruises intentionally to hurt Kakashi, but knew that, if he had looked at my neck, he would be able to see finger-shaped bruises along my neck. Thankfully, my vest was able to cover most of it up, along with my shirt, but if you knew the bruises were there, they were all too noticeable. No one had yet asked me about them, not even Naruto, but I knew he had noticed them when he had seen me the other day, but thankfully refrained from asking about them.

"How's your training?" Kakashi said curiously, one hand sliding into his pocket. I watched him out of the corner of my eye and twitched when I saw him pull out a orange book. That's…I recognized the book…it was a big thing in the academy, but against rules, so I had quite a few confiscated and they were currently locked up in a drawer in my classroom. I had never read one, and I didn't even have the urge to, but wasn't about to lecture someone on reading. Only when I heard Kakashi snicker did I begin to get annoyed.

"It's fine…Gai and I have sex every day…" I replied, glaring at Kakashi. If he had been listening to me, I would have seen some kind of reaction, but instead I got a placid 'that's good' out of him. "Gai has an amazing amount of stamina…and he's huge…"

Not even this got a response out of the jounin. "He is…" Kakashi commented as we continued on walking. I watched him and his perverted book for another moment, then smirked when Kakashi froze. As if it had finally hit him, he turned to look at me, his single visible eye wide in amazement. "…maa?"

"…next time, pay attention if you ask a question…" I stated before I turned away from Kakashi and smiled. The look on his face was priceless, but what had made me actually smile was the fact he was so surprised, he had dropped his porn novel and hadn't realized it until I began walking again. He quickly picked up the book and, from the corner of my eye, I saw him put it back in a pocket. Kakashi took a few, long strides to catch up with me, then just stared.

"Were you serious?"

"…" I stared at him in wonder. Could someone be so dense? I prayed to whatever God existed that it wasn't possible, but my prayer wasn't answered as I realized he actually had believed me. "Iie! It's not true!…I would never…" I replied venomously, noticing Kakashi relaxed as soon as he heard my answer, but the slight flinch didn't escape my eye either. He…is disappointed?…a second ago, he was afraid I was sleeping with Gai…and now…he's…hurt? I sighed inwardly then watched as Kakashi looked down at the ground. No wonder most people think of him as an enigma…he's too confusing to understand…

"…so…your taijutsu getting better?" Kakashi asked, trying to cover up his moment of hurt with a curved eye. I nodded as we took a left onto the street my house was on. I watched Kakashi for another moment, only looking away as we approached my apartment.

"And how is your training with Sasuke going?" I questioned as we walked towards my front door, Kakashi falling a step behind me as I opened my door and walked in. This time, I didn't lock my door since I knew I'd be back in a little while. Kakashi had obviously noticed that my door was unlocked and, before he got a chance to say anything about it, I turned to look at him. "No one's going to rob me Kakashi…or attack me, so calm down…and you've already found out that I can take care of myself."

"You're right about that…" Kakashi commented as he brought a gloved hand up to his face and gingerly touched his nose. I smiled at him, waiting for him step into the house before I took off my sandals and began walking towards my living room. Kakashi quickly followed my example and I watched him set his sandals down next to mine. Looking at our sandals next to each other, I realized how much larger Kakashi was than me. His shoes alone were at least two or three sizes bigger than my own. "Sasuke's training is going well…I think he'll do well in the exam…"

"That's a good thing…Naruto finally was able to summon a frog…and one without a tail," I said as I walked into my living room and waited until Kakashi took a seat on the couch before I sat down on my coffee table across from the jounin. Kakashi watched me, his eyebrow raised, as I looked down at my floor. This'll be interesting…I thought to myself as I glanced back up at the silver-haired man. "I'll need you to take off your shirt…" Kakashi studied me for a moment, but complied as he slowly took off his vest, but was obviously having a painful time trying to get his shirt off. I wondered inwardly how he had gotten the shirt on in the first place as I gestured for him to raise his arms. Kakashi, for once, listened to me and put his arms above his head and I gently pulled the tucked shirt out from his belted pants, then slowly began sliding it up his torso, making sure I wasn't hurting him. I couldn't remember exactly where I hit him, so I was careful in pulling the tight cloth up. I bit my lip when I saw the beginning of white bandages. After a few minutes of battling with the shirt, trying to assure myself that I wasn't hitting any bruises or broken ribs as I did so, I finally got the thing off and was able to study the bandages wrapped around Kakashi's entire chest, from right below his nipples to his last rib.

"Anko wrapped it for me…" Kakashi stated as he looked away. I could have guessed he didn't do it himself…it was too neat for the jounin…but I could see that he was uncomfortable by the fact he was half naked and I had yet to help him in any sense of the term. I smiled sheepishly, then began to slowly remove the bandages, making sure the roll them up as I exposed Kakashi's pale skin. I couldn't help but wonder how someone could be so pale, but I reminded myself that the man probably didn't have much time to sunbathe and obviously was pale normally.

Once I had all of the bandages in a neat bundle, I sat back and studied the discolored skin across Kakashi's ribcage. I could see why he was sitting so stiffly before. With that thought, I gently touched either side of the massive bruise, noticing that Kakashi shivered slightly at my touch. "Gomen…I have cold hands…" I said softly as I let healing chakra flow through my hands into the injury, in order to 'see' the wound. I had learned, when I first was being taught healing jutsu (a requirement for all teachers in the academy), that you had to be able to image the body-every aspect of it-perfectly before even attempting to heal a part of it. If not, I had learned from a few tries on mice and other injured rodents, you could do more damage than what you had started out with. Remembering that vital fact, I carefully traced my fingers along Kakashi's ribs, noting exactly where the breaks were, how many blood vessels were broken, even how many organs were bruised. Once I had finished my extensive study of Kakashi's midsection, I placed one hand in the center of his bruise and brought the other up to my face. I quickly created the seals necessary to mend Kakashi's bones and reduce the bruising and watched, with a little satisfaction, as my hand began to glow green, as did the jounin's middle. I could feel the bones shifting underneath my hand, regrowing the hard tissue so that it would be impossible to tell it was ever broken in the first place.

Next, were the bruises. That was a simple task, which only took me a second to heal, but I still slowly pulled away from Kakashi's warm chest, meticulously checking for any abnormal marks, or a place where the jutsu didn't take effect, but there were no such things. His skin was perfectly smooth, had no coloration except for his own pale skin tone. I smiled as Kakashi looked down at his chest and brought a hand up to press against his once-broken ribs. His eye curved upwards as he raised his head to look at me.

"You should be a medic nin, Iruka-sensei…usually they don't even bother with healing broken bones so perfectly…or healing bruises…" I blushed slightly at his compliment. I then glanced up at his nose and wondered how we'd do this. "Maa…do I have to take off the mask?"

"I won't look," I replied, which Kakashi took as a 'yes' to his question. "Healing doesn't take sight…" I shut my eyes and, as an added measure, turned my head to the side. I nearly jumped out of my skin when I felt Kakashi's hand brush against my own, then wrap around mine. He pulled my hand up and I was amazed to feel warm flesh a moment later. I quickly located his nose and slowly traced my fingers along his cheek, stopping when I felt the end of his prominent cheekbone. I then began my survey of the other side of his face, noticing that the scar over his Sharingan descended down to the middle of his cheek and that the scar was not just a discoloration, but an actual depression in his skin. Other than the scar, Kakashi's face was unmarred, both sides symmetrical, which made me wonder what he was trying to hide with a mask. I decided to ask later as I brought my hands back to his nose and made quick work of repairing it. Cartilage was far easier to mend than bone, but I was slightly reluctant to move my hands away from his face.

Against my better judgment, I slid my fingers across Kakashi's scarred cheek, then began moving downwards when I reached his sideburns. I was slightly amused to find his hair was very soft and silky. I stopped my fingers when I reached his jaw line. Tracing along it, I discovered Kakashi had a delicate jaw, almost feminine in its shape. I smiled at the slight irony of him having a feminine jaw, but hair prickled against my fingertips as I brought my fingers back down to Kakashi's chin. His beard was short, as if he hadn't shaved for, maybe, a day or two, but oddly fitting of the jounin's lazy character. I then began to study his chin. If I was a 'chin' kind of person, I'd have to describe his as amazing. Perfectly shaped and sized for his face. I brought my other hand to his face and brought both to rest on either side of his mouth. I could feel dimples in his cheeks, which made me realize he was smiling. I chuckled at that discovery. Naruto would never let the jounin live it down if he knew Kakashi had dimples. Those dimples destroyed the 'hard ass' image I had of Kakashi. Realizing he was a walking oxymoron, I became even more curious to picture his entire face. I pulled one hand closer to Kakashi's mouth, feeling the man's warm breath against my fingers as I traced his lower lip. It was softer than I would have expected and, as I moved to trace his upper lip, realized that his lips weren't in the least bit misshapen or unusual. Perhaps the only thing unusual about Kakashi's face was that he was smiling, even though I was probably overstepping the 'personal space' line. I felt his lips brush against my fingers and, out of surprise more than anything else, I jerked my hands away.

"G-gomen, Kakashi-sensei…" I stammered, turning my head away from where Kakashi was sitting. I just…touched his face…no one knows what he looks like under his mask…and I now have a pretty good idea… I thought to myself, wondering for a moment why Kakashi had allowed me to feel his face to such a degree I could almost picture him perfectly. My face warmed up when that picture came to mind. I didn't have to actually see his face to know that he was far more than handsome…he was…beyond words. "I-I didn't mean to…"

"Maa…Iruka-sensei…you can open your eyes…" I opened one eye hesitantly when I heard no conviction…no hatred in Kakashi's voice. Seeing that he had his mask back in place, I looked at him with both eyes. I could see clearly see that his cheeks and nose were a bright pink, not even the mask could hide that fact, but I could also see he was smiling underneath his mask.

"Dimples?" It was the only thing I could think of saying at that moment. Kakashi looked away, but I could see the smile didn't leave his covered face. Considering how he was trying to look away enough to hide his face, I could tell my comment had gotten him to turn bright red.

"…ehehehe…you're the only person alive who knows I have them…" Kakashi said as he slowly stood up and grabbed his shirt. I tried to divert my eyes, but couldn't stop myself from noticing that he was very well built-which was quite common for shinobi-but he lacked the usual muscle mass that all other men had. Despite the fact I was smaller than him by at least two heads, I knew I had more muscle, and probably weighed more than him. I could only think of two words to describe Kakashi-or the physical part of him that I had discovered today-delicate, but also perfect. He was perfectly constructed, but for some reason hid that fact. Probably so he doesn't have a fan club like Sasuke… I thought to myself as I smiled at Kakashi.

"And if I tell Naruto…everyone in the village will know within two days…" I threatened with a mocking tone. Kakashi caught my joke and snickered. He nodded his head in agreement, but still refused to turn and look at me as he put his shirt back on. What a shame…I nearly fell off of the coffee table with that thought. I had never had perverse thoughts…especially considering a colleague….especially another man who happened to be very secretive and didn't want people to know how beautiful he actually was…especially a man so far out of my reach!

"You wouldn't do that to me, Iruka-sensei!" Kakashi protested as soon as his shirt was back on, his visible glancing at me for a moment. "…So…umm…a-arigatou…for healing me…"

"I couldn't exactly let you suffer…" I replied, watching as Kakashi put his vest back on. The newfound perverse side of my mind cried at this addition to Kakashi's wardrobe. I slowly stood up and waited for Kakashi to say something, but when he didn't and the silence began growing uncomfortable, I opened my mouth. "W-why don't you stay for some tea? …we kind of got off on the bad foot so far…"

Kakashi obviously agreed with me as his eye curved up and he began following me towards the kitchen table. Within a few minutes, we were sipping green tea and I began learning more about Kakashi than anyone else knew, I'm sure.

"What's with the mask?" was the first question I asked, but the only one not answered as we sat and talked in a comfortable atmosphere of friends.

/heehee/

Authoress: okay…thirteen pages…and it's 1:30 AM…so I shall be going to bed…/touches her teapot/ it's all gone…phooey

Kakashi: IRUKA MOLESTED MY FAAAAAACE//cries/

Authoress: I know…I didn't do a good description of Kakashi's face…but Iruka has yet to see it…and that is where things'll get good…hehehe…

Iruka: so…if we're the PAIRING…why did you say /looks up to last word of chapter/ FRIENDS!

Authoress: calm down, hornball…if you remember…one of the things you wanted was someone to talk to…someone not only interested in sex? Ring any bells…/sighs/ really, once you let them touch Kakashi's face and see him half naked…they all want to sleep with him…

Gai: YOOOOSH!

Kakashi//looks at a pissed off Iruka/ it was only once…and I have a reason…

Iruka: oh?

Kakashi: …I was drunk?

Gai: YOU WERE SO YOUTHFUL!…AND THE WAY YOU WERE SEME?…/cries/ AND THAT ONE TIME, AT THE BEACH…

Iruka//passes out from the overload of images/

Kakashi//picks up a shuriken and attacks/ URUSAI! I WAS HORNY, ON A DESERTED BEACH WITH ONE OTHER PERSON AND I HADN'T HAD ANY SINCE OBITO DIED!

Authoress: okay…you all know that something had to have been going on between those two at one point, right?…it just has to be…maybe I'll incorporate it into the story…but noooooo lemons with those two…unless everyone who reviews says they want it…cuz' that's going above and beyond the call of the Yaoi duty…/cries at the images/ it's enough to harm even me…so, until the next chapter, SAYONARA!