A/N: I'm back with another chapter! Just assume all of the dialogue is in Japanese unless it says otherwise… I don't feel like italicizing all of the talking. Oh, and I have no idea what Japanese schooling is like other than what I've seen in other animes so bear with me please…
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters. Those are Kishimoto's.
...
"Iruka-sensei?"
Iruka glanced up from the book he was reading to address his student. It had been a few weeks since he had gotten home from vacation with Naruto and he was now back to his job of teaching at the high school near their home. He had always thought it odd to have the contradicting professions he has –err had, he corrected himself. One job taught young adults how to survive in the real world, and the other took people out of it.
His hand travelled unconsciously to the pocket that usually held his special cell phone, only to feel the absence of the object. Iruka had never realized how familiar that weight felt until it was gone. Man was he glad that weight was gone.
"Yes, Sakura-chan? What do you need?" Iruka answered the pink haired girl. She was one of the brightest in the class and the work he had given them was relatively easy. Iruka wondered what she could possibly need help with.
"I was just wondering…" Sakura paused to scratch at her cheek nervously. "Are we really going to get a new student? I heard he was really cute…" She trailed off again as all of the females in the room started whispering behind their hands. As if that really hides anything, Iruka thought dryly.
He sighed before answering, addressing the whole class, "Yes, we are going to be having a new student starting tomorrow and I expect all of you to be on your best behavior!" Might as well minimize the excited whispering that would follow the next day, he thought.
The bell rang to signal the end of the day, saving Iruka from any further questions. It was only the second week of school and the kids were already vanishing from their seats as soon as the bell rings. Must be trying to make the best of the warm weather, Iruka mused, picking at the collar of his long sleeved shirt. Even Naruto was nowhere to be seen. He probably already left with Kiba-kun; Iruka remembered his younger brother mentioning plans with the other boy earlier that morning. Sighing at how quickly his students were growing up, the ex-assassin packed up his lesson plans and set out for his home.
It had been nearly a month since New York, but Iruka was still wary of every shadow he passed. He kept getting the feeling that he was being watched, even though he could never find an assessing pair of eyes anywhere. His senses insisted on the contrary, however, and they were never wrong. Then again, people would be sneaking glances at someone crazy enough to wear a long sleeved turtleneck when it was so hot out.
Iruka was so preoccupied with scanning the crowd for any suspicious glances cast his way when he actually ran into someone.
Stunned, Iruka retreated with a hasty apology and a bow of his head. When he glanced up to see whom he had run into, his first sight was spiky silver hair. With such an absurd hair colour, how had Iruka not seen them before now? The stranger turned around and regarded Iruka with one eye, holding an empty coffee cup. The contents of the cup had spilled down the front of the man's crisp, white t-shirt.
Iruka was horrified at what he had done. Hastily, he bowed at the waist, chanting apologies. "Please, allow me to pay to have that cleaned for my clumsiness," he pleaded. He did not want to take any chances in possibly offending someone with this man's build. Iruka could not help but marvel at the amazing muscle tone the coffee-soaked shirt now sported, at the same time trying to ignore the spark of attraction it provoked.
The silver-haired man simply tilted his head to the side curiously. "Maa, it's just a shirt," he replied nonchalantly. "I can easily buy a new one."
"Please, let me pay for it, sir. It is the least I can do," Iruka insisted. On top of not wanting to offend the man, Iruka also had his pride. If he made such an offer, he would not retract it easily. The man's sex appeal had nothing to do with it, Iruka convinced himself.
The stranger considered his offer, tapping his chin with his empty cup. Now that Iruka's attention was brought up to the man's face, he actually had to refrain from widening his eyes. The man was absolutely stunning with a straight nose, strong jaw, and thin lips that held the hidden promises most people could only dream about. It was all oddly completed by the black silk fabric that covered his left eye.
"How about this," the stranger replied. "I let you buy me a new coffee and we can both sit and have a nice chat. Fair enough?" The man's lips were as mesmerizing as his voice when they moved. Iruka found himself nodding before another thought passed through his mind. The stranger smirked and Iruka's stomach did a back-flip because of how downright sexy it looked.
Iruka's mind snapped back into action when he felt the unfamiliar weight of an arm being slung over his shoulders. He had to stop himself from flipping his newfound acquaintance onto the sidewalk as an instinct. Taking a deep breath to calm himself, he politely shrugged off the arm and gestured for the man to lead. "After you, Mr…?"
"Hatake Kakashi," the silver-haired man replied politely. He put his hand out to shake and Iruka took it. Kakashi's eye shone with mischief as he said, "Pleased to meet you, Umino-san."
Iruka paled slightly, but remained in control of his actions. He raised his eyebrow in silent question as he removed his hand from Kakashi's warm grip. The taller man's eye glittered with amusement before he finally gestured to Iruka's satchel with a kind smile. It took Iruka a moment before he let his suspicious gaze glance down to his bag. Understanding lit up in his mind as he saw the tag dangling from the zipper reading: Umino Iruka.
Embarrassment made Iruka's cheeks burn with a rush of blood. The ex-assassin was too paranoid for his own good. Here was this gorgeous man standing before him, wanting to have coffee together and all he could do was eye him suspiciously. He smiled and rubbed at the edge of the scar crossing his nose nervously. "Nice to meet you too, Hatake-san," Iruka chuckled finally. He had to fight the urge to roll up his sleeves against the heat of the day mixed with the heat of embarrassment.
Kakashi led the way to the air conditioned coffee shop and ordered them both coffees. True to his word, he allowed Iruka to pay for them before they sat down at an abandoned table. Each man examined the other silently, waiting for someone to begin a conversation. Iruka suddenly felt very awkward and had no idea what to do from there. He chuckled under his breath at his own nervousness. Iruka could kill without hesitation, but when it came to talking to attractive men, he was useless!
Kakashi tilted his head to the side curiously, a grin playing at the edge of his lips. "What's so funny over there?" he asked playfully.
"Ah, it's nothing… just a little ironic on my part." Iruka searched his mind for a plausible explanation. "I spend all day talking to teenagers, and yet I can't figure out how to talk to an adult my own age."
"You're right, that does sound rather ironic," Kakashi said, a grin dancing at the edge of his lips. He took a sip of his coffee and never once took his eye from Iruka. "So, you're a teacher?" he asked.
Thankful that the ice was now broken, Iruka relaxed into his chair and blew on his hot beverage before taking an experimental sip. Black with sugar, just the way he liked it. "Yeah, I'm a teacher at the high school a couple of blocks from here."
"What do you teach?" Kakashi leaned forward on his elbows to show he was listening.
"Actually, I'm a homeroom teacher, so I teach the basics of pretty much everything." It was getting easier to talk to this man, Iruka noticed. He had a certain aloofness that was almost contagious. "And what about you, Hatake-san? What do you do for a living?" he asked politely.
"I'm a businessman, actually. I just go from place to place, wherever I need to be," he answered nonchalantly, shrugging a shoulder. It amazed Iruka how casual and elegant the silver-haired man made such a simple gesture seem.
They chatted for a good while about everything and nothing, even after they had finished their coffees. Iruka noticed that the other man had not given much information about himself other than his career. At first he had found it odd, but Iruka himself knew the value of privacy and just enjoyed the conversation.
The conversation was abruptly interrupted by the buzzing sound of a phone vibrating. It turns out, both men's phones were vibrating and they exchanged polite nods and amused grins before turning away from each other to answer their respective calls.
Naruto was calling to see where Iruka was. Apparently, his plans had been cut a little short. Kiba's dog, Akamaru, had gotten sick and Kiba and his parents had rushed off to the vet to have him checked out. Naruto sounded a little miffed to be pushed aside like that, but he insisted that he understood why it happened. When Iruka told him where he was, Naruto picked up on Iruka's tone like a bloodhound on a game trail.
"You never drink coffee in the middle of the day! So, who are you there with? Is she cute?" Iruka's little brother always was more intuitive than he should be and he had absolutely no tact when it came to getting information. It was one of his more annoying, yet endearing, traits.
Iruka glanced over at his companion from the corner of his eye surreptitiously. He seemed to be deep into his phone conversation. Oddly enough, it did not sound like he was speaking Japanese. Iruka turned back and murmured his answer, "I ran into someone on the way home from work and accidentally made him spill his coffee on his shirt. I'll explain things when I get home."
"Wait, him? You're out with a guy? Is he hot? C'mon Ru, ya gotta give me something!" Naruto gushed, trying to get details out of his older brother. They knew that gender never mattered to either of them and it made them that much closer as brothers to know they would never be judged by the other.
Iruka snuck another glance over at Kakashi before he could stop himself. There was no denying the attraction he felt for him. "Yes," he whispered into the phone. "Now, I will talk to you when I get home. Make sure you try not to burn the house down if you get hungry." He snapped his new phone shut on his brother's inquiries and politely waited for Kakashi to finish his phone call.
Turning back to the table, Kakashi smiled apologetically. "Sorry about that, business call. Where were we?" he said, smirking flirtatiously with that sinful mouth of his.
Iruka stammered a little, losing his train of thought. He blinked a few times to break whatever trance Kakashi gaze had put him in. The brunette nervously looked down into his empty cup and rubbed at the edge of his scar again. Iruka said, "Actually, I have to get going. That was my little brother just now and it's about time I get home to make dinner before he starts gnawing on the furniture."
"Ahh, you never mentioned you had a brother," Kakashi said curiously.
Iruka smiled kindly back to the man, a smile that only the thought of his precious sibling could bring forth. "We're not related by blood, but the paperwork says differently. It was nice meeting you, Hatake-san."
"Please, call me Kakashi," he replied smoothly, reaching his hand out for a farewell shake. Iruka took the hand politely and felt a slip of paper crinkle against his palm before he was firmly pulled forward and forced to step closer to the other man. Iruka had to catch himself on Kakashi's shoulder to regain his balance. "Really," Kakashi whispered into his ear, "call me. Any time."
Just like that, Kakashi slipped away, leaving Iruka confused and blushing like mad. His face felt hot all the way to the tips of his ears and other parts of his anatomy were responding to the brief proximity he shared with the attractive businessman. Iruka quickly tipped the waitress that had served them and made his way out of the coffee shop to head home, ignoring all of the looks he got for wearing a sweater in hot weather.
Man did he have a story to tell Naruto later…
...
Kakashi blended into the crowd effortlessly. As soon as his brown-haired assassin finally stumbled out of the shop, he began to follow him just as he did a month ago. This was a much different circumstance, however. He found himself glad that he had given in to curiosity and not killed the little assassin right after he had pulled the knife from the corpse of his target…
Kakashi had already loaded his weapon and was aiming to kill the black-clad man from the shadows. He was in perfect alignment with his vitals with his finger on the trigger. Then, he saw the raw pain in the other man's eyes when he looked at a picture on the desk. Those expressive eyes captivated him in that moment. Pain in all forms flitted through the other assassin's dark eyes as clear as day; pain for others and pain for himself. Assassins were trained to turn off all emotions in order to become effective killing machines. How is it a man like that, who could obviously feel so much pain, had become such a skilled killer?
His moment of hesitation was just long enough for the guards to burst in the door and cause his quarry to flee. He had slipped silently out the door before the cloud of smoke could reach him. Kakashi may have lost sight of his target, but he could pick up a trail better than any hound could. Due to all of the guards being preoccupied with finding the other assassin, it was all too easy for Kakashi to slip off of the property and begin his search.
By the time he had found and followed the smaller assassin's trail, the man had already dressed in civilian clothes. The pants hung low enough to show a sliver of dark skin in the moonlight and Kakashi had to restrain himself from murmuring in appreciation when the other man had bent over and distracted him from his objective. His little assassin had a very appealing body and long dark hair that his fingers itched to comb through. It seemed as though there was a way to make an assassin feel during a job, although Kakashi paid the revelation no mind.
Unfortunately for his libido, Kakashi did have a job to do. He had been poised and ready with his gun once more in the abandoned warehouse when the dark-haired man began murmuring in his sleep. He only said one word over and over, "Naruto…"
From that point on, Kakashi could not bring himself to pull the trigger. His curiosity was killing him and he decided not to complete the job. After all, he had only taken it out of boredom and to relieve some frustrations of the day. It was pure coincidence that he was in New York at the time for a business meeting when he got the call. He was to eliminate another assassin after they had taken out their own target. Kakashi suspected it had something to do with avoiding payment; he had seen it done time and time again.
As Kakashi finished looking through the smaller man's pockets, he stirred with the beginnings of wakefulness and Kakashi glided like a ghost out of the room to observe his prisoner. He covered what skin he could with his dark clothing and watched from the crack in the doorway, two cell phones that he had confiscated weighing down his back pocket. He spoke up when he saw the other man contemplating something at the window.
The way the other man -Iruka, his wallet had said- responded to his vague answers was increasingly entertaining and perplexing for Kakashi. He could now understand how a suspicious, fiery man like that could become an assassin, but he could not figure out why. Even lying about his name had caused discomfort to shine in his eyes, despite his otherwise flawless delivery. So, he let the little assassin go after erasing his memory and followed him through the crowds until he dived into a cab. Kakashi wanted to know more about this dark-haired man, and he knew exactly how to do it.
Kakashi was not surprised when he found the corpse of his client surrounded by bodies of brutish looking men. His guess that he wanted to avoid payment was true, it seemed. This man had gotten what he deserved, in his book, and Kakashi wished he could have been there to witness it himself. The scene before him looked like it would have been rather entertaining to see.
That also probably meant Kakashi had been close to the same situation if he had not told the caller that he would do it for free. Being a businessman, he had enough money and he rarely had anything to spend it on, so it just kept growing and growing in various mank accounts. He did not need any more.
That was how he ended up going to his presidential suite and packing the belongings he had brought to finally head to his current residence. He had a plane to catch and a teenager to pack up before they could relocate to a certain town in Japan…
Kakashi watched intently as the shorter man made his way through the crowd, throwing suspicious glances every which way. It amused the silver-haired man to no end that for as sharp as Iruka's instincts were, Kakashi still managed to stay off the other man's radar. He followed him to a quiet suburb and made sure he entered his house before heading the other direction to his own neighborhood.
...
Iruka was almost at his boiling point and it was only five minutes into the school day. Almost every student in his class was whispering to one another about the new student standing next to him. The raven haired teen had barely walked in the door before every girl, and a few boys, started talking about how 'hot' he was and the best ways to get information about him. They were even daring each other to talk to the new kid as if they were grade schoolers and Iruka swore he could feel a vein throbbing in his forehead.
Taking a deep breath to calm himself, he addressed the class in his most feared teacher-voice. "All right, listen up! Obviously, we have a new student, but that does not mean you get to sit and chat all day." He glared around the room for good measure to silence the remaining whisperers. "Now, this is Uchiha Sasuke and you can all get to know him on your own time. All right? Please take your seat, Sasuke-kun," Iruka finished, gesturing to the only open seat next to Naruto.
The rest of class was spent ignoring the scattered stares directed at the new student, some obvious as turning in their seats and others casting sidelong glances, and continued the lesson for those who actually wanted to listen. Throughout the entire class, Iruka noticed Naruto becoming more and more irritated. He ignored this as well and decided he was going to ask him about it at lunch. In Iruka's opinion, lunch could not have come fast enough.
Hearing the bell ring was like music to Iruka's nerves. It meant he could finally wind down a little and take a break from the whispers of how 'sexy' and 'mysterious' Sasuke was. Honestly, there were some things a teacher just did not want to hear.
"Naruto, can you please come here a moment?" Iruka flagged down his younger brother, before he could dash out of the room. "What's wrong?" he asked as Naruto turned away from the door.
The spiky-haired blond sulked up to the desk and kept his attention on the door from the corner of his eye until a certain new kid disappeared through it. As soon as everyone was out of earshot, Naruto finally burst. He never was good at keeping his thoughts to himself. "What is it about the new kid that has everyone riled up? All he's done is ignore everyone and look all high and mighty! I even tried to introduce myself and all he did was give me a cold stare! He didn't even bother to turn towards me! That bastard had better learn some manners when people talk to him!" As the rant went on, Naruto's whisker-scars became more and more prominent as his face heated from anger. His fists were already clenched at his sides and his teeth were gritted in a tight scowl.
"Naruto, calm down," Iruka said, walking around the desk to place his hands on Naruto's shoulders. "I'm sure Sasuke-kun didn't mean anything by it. He's probably just trying to make some sort of reputation to keep the bullies away. Being a new kid is never easy."
Iruka knew that logic did not always work with Naruto, but it was worth a shot. He knew what it was like to be the new kid a few times over. They'd had to move a couple of times before Iruka could find a stable enough job while he was still getting calls on his special cell phone. He will be eternally grateful to whatever higher power made him lose that phone.
Naruto seemed to deflate almost immediately, his hands relaxed at his sides as he exhaled slowly. "You're probably right, as always. Say, Iruka-sensei, you wouldn't happen to have some instant ramen for lunch, would you? The food here sucks," he asked, brightening up at the prospect of his favourite food.
Iruka could not help but chuckle a little to himself at his little brother's mood swings. If anything could cheer Naruto up quicker than ramen, Iruka would bet it did not exist. He pulled out his lunch, ramen of course, and handed it to Naruto who promptly zipped off to chow down. As exasperating as it was to live with him, Iruka would never change a hair on his beloved sibling's head. Sighing appreciatively into the silence of his classroom, Iruka sat down with the extra lunch he always packed and enjoyed his momentary solitude.
The rest of the day was a little chattier than before, no doubt because of Sasuke's quickly growing popularity. He was just packing up his satchel to head home when he heard a commotion out in the hallway. Oh, no. Please don't let that be Naruto… Iruka could not help but think as he ran out into the hall.
Sure enough, he saw his blond headed idiot rolling across the floor with Sasuke. Fists and elbows were flying every which way, connecting with any unprotected body parts. By the time Iruka had been able to struggle his way through the crowd of excited teenagers, Sasuke had Naruto pinned to the ground and was yelling in his face.
"What the hell is wrong with you?!" the black-haired boy shouted.
"All right, that's enough!" Iruka shouted, effectively silencing the cheering from the crowd. The loudest cheers seemed to be coming from his students, Sakura and Ino. They had never been particularly nice to Naruto, but Iruka would not have thought they would cheer for a new kid over someone they had known for years. "Class has ended. Now, unless you have afterschool business, I expect these halls be clear by the time I turn around!" All of the students reluctantly, but quickly, made their way out of Iruka's sight.
Sasuke was just standing up by the time Iruka turned back to the fighting teens. With a final, cold look at Naruto, Sasuke turned on his heel and walked away. "Where do you think you're going, Sasuke-kun?" the disgruntled teacher called after him.
"You said you wanted the halls to be clear. Right, Iruka-sensei?" The pale boy never even turned around to address him. Without waiting for an answer, Sasuke continued on his way, leaving bewildered and enraged eyes following after him.
Iruka's reflexes barely caught Naruto's arm before he could chase after the other boy. "Naruto! Calm… down…!" The brunette struggled to restrain his angry brother and finally resorted to swiftly kicking his feet out from under him and pinning him face first to the floor. The blond thrashed in an attempt to escape, but quickly found it futile and lay still, breathing heavily.
After a few minutes, once Iruka thought he had calmed enough, he asked, "Better?"
Naruto huffed in defeat and nodded. Iruka got off of him and helped his little brother off the floor. Trusting that he would not go on another rampage, Iruka went back to his room to grab his bag and returned to find Naruto waiting for him, slumped against the wall guiltily. He knew what was coming and had resigned himself to the lecture he was bound to get and the defense he was going to give.
Mentally, Iruka sighed to himself as he walked back to his brother and nudged his shoulder with his own. The brothers walked home silently, side by side. Naruto was still visibly nervous about his brother's impending temper when they got to their street, and Iruka took pity on him by slinging his arm around the teen's shoulders comfortingly. He said, "I'm not mad, so stop worrying. I just wanna know what happened."
The blond boy's head bowed in relief before coming back up to reveal an apprehensive expression. Just because Iruka had said he was not angry, did not mean he would not get there quickly. Naruto stalled his explanation until they were finally standing in their living room, facing each other. He mumbled something to the floor and Iruka made a show of cupping his hand around his ear and leaning towards the boy.
"I'm sorry, didn't quite catch that," he said, prompting his brother to speak louder.
"He called me 'dobe,'" Naruto repeated.
"So, you started a fight because he called you a name?" Iruka sighed in exasperation and pinched the bridge of his nose to order his thoughts. "Naruto, I thought you were more mature—"
"It's not what you think!" Naruto interrupted, his eyes pleading for his brother to listen. "I had accidentally bumped into him in the hall, so I turned back and apologized. Then he looked at me with that same cold stare and said, 'Just watch where you're going, dobe.' When I asked him what his problem was, he just scoffed and turned his back on me! I just kind of… lost my temper after that. I'm sorry, Ruka-nii."
The teen looked entirely sincere in his apology, even going so far as to call Iruka by the nickname he had given him when they were younger. Naruto's bright blue eyes, wide with honesty, finally cracked Iruka's defenses. The older male bowed his head and chuckled. "Apology accepted. Now, let's have a look at that lip," he said, taking Naruto's chin in his hand and turning his face to see the wound better. "At least it's split so it won't swell up. Go wash off the blood and try not to stretch your lips too much."
The teen smiled despite the advice and hugged his brother. "Thanks for not getting angry, Ruka-nii," he mumbled into his neck. Iruka tightened his arms around the boy and finally let him go, giving him a gentle shove towards the bathroom.
He waited until he heard Naruto fumbling around for various things before speaking again, "Ya know… I don't really feel like cooking. How does Ichiraku's sound for dinner tonight?"
There was an answering whoop of joy and then an immediate hiss of pain. The blond idiot had probably just reopened his lip. Iruka chuckled under his breath and made his way to his room to change into more comfortable clothing. He put on his favourite pair of old jeans and slipped on a loose, green button up. He watched the scars etched into his tanned body disappear, hidden behind the shirt as he did the buttons up slowly. Iruka was suddenly lost in thought as he always was when he was reminded of what happened to him so many years ago.
Shaking the dark memories from his mind, Iruka headed out to the kitchen to make a cup of tea before dinner. He needed something calming at that moment, so he grabbed his favourite jasmine tea and set the cup of water into the microwave. Normally, he would have used his kettle, but he needed something quick and boiling water took too long.
As he waited, he set out his lesson plans and assignments that needed grading, ready to do a little bit of work while Naruto was getting ready. Jasmine tea in hand, he set to his work and got three papers done when the hyperactive teen finally bounced into the kitchen. His lip had finally stopped bleeding and all of the blood was gone; the small wound looked like it was already beginning to seal over itself. The speed Naruto healed at had always amazed Iruka to no end.
The teacher quickly rearranged his piles of papers and finished off his tea before they set out for dinner. A slip of paper caught Iruka's attention as he reached for his keys. It was Kakashi's number. Naruto had encouraged him to give it a go with the businessman after he had told him the whole story of what had happened the day before, but Iruka did not feel that it was right to just call the very next day. He could not think of anything to say to the man to his face, let alone over the phone.
Ignoring the note, he grabbed his keys from the stand next to the door and headed to the car to take his little brother out to dinner. He would call Kakashi, eventually, he decided. Just not yet.
...
A/N: And there is another chapter! I hope you liked it! Review if you did! Review if you didn't! Just please please please review! I love reading them and appreciate every single one of them! I have a goal to reach at least 5 reviews! Even if it was just two words, it would make my day! Thank you and catch ya next time!