Treat this as an entirely separate story to the last chapter as the tone is completely different.

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When the Sandaime tells him that Hatake Kakashi has failed every single team he's been given Iruka thinks that he chose him on purpose because he doesn't want Naruto to pass and become a genin. When he does pass the trio and Naruto grows stronger and happier Iruka thinks he understands, and he is grateful.

He has a budding idea in his mind that he should try and start a friendship with Kakashi, never mind that he is a jōnin and Iruka is not, but every time Team Seven come to him with their mission report he ends up listening to Naruto's ridiculous stories and focusing all his attention on the blond instead. More often than not when he looks back up again Kakashi is gone.

Iruka doesn't understand why this makes him feel so disappointed until the day he stumbles across the silver-haired mystery lying on his back on one of the training fields, talking to a small pug in a low voice. He looks different than usual, and Iruka doesn't get why until he realizes the jōnin has taken off his jacket and hitai-ate. He's still wearing the rest of his uniform but it makes him seem softer somehow, with his hair floating over his face instead of arrested into gravity defying spikes.

He watches as Kakashi strokes the dog's head lightly, the little pug growling in mock anger, and almost laughs as the dog jumps on the jōnin's chest and pretends to bite him. He feels warm inside as Kakashi rolls over on top of his dog and they proceed to play wrestle with each other. After observing the jōnin from a distance as he trained his students he'd thought that Kakashi didn't know how to play or have fun. He's glad to find out that he does.

When a whole lot of jōnin are killed on a botched mission Kakashi starts coming into the mission room without his team. Iruka hands him his missions with his gaze averted, afraid if he looks at him that Kakashi will find out he'd seen him that time with his pug. Somehow he feels that it was something no one was meant to see. Aside from that, Kakashi makes him nervous.

Iruka is honest with everybody, and that includes himself. So when he figures out that the trembling feeling he gets in his stomach and the way his cheeks heat up every time he sees Kakashi means that he has a crush on Naruto's current sensei he doesn't deny it. He does, however, do his best to ignore it because in his experience, nothing hurts worse than unrequited love. And Kakashi definitely does not like him.

The jōnin seems to not even see him, the single gray eye looking through him whenever they interact. And when he does look at Iruka it's with an air of disdain. But even staring in the face of Kakashi's repugnance he can't help but notice how slim and delicate his fingers are and wonder how they'd feel against his body. His traitorous thoughts make him blush and he can't speak for fear that he will say something condemning. Instead he calls for the next person in line, stamping the Copy-nin's form without looking at it.

When Kakashi goes from handing in correctly completed, clearly written reports to giving him pieces of paper with only a few words on them that look like he's given them to his dog to chew on Iruka doesn't understand. It's obviously done on purpose, and Iruka can't figure out why. Maybe the jōnin just wants to torture him? It hurts more than he'd like to admit, but he accepts the forms anyway, stamping them and putting them aside to redo later.

It takes him longer than he'd thought it would to rewrite Kakashi's report to an acceptable standard, and there are parts that he can't fill in because he simply didn't know the answers. He wonders briefly why he didn't just ask the man to do it again like he does with everyone else, and then closes his eyes and sighs. He knows why he accepted the report, and it's a stupid reason. He doesn't want Kakashi to think he's a pedantic little tight-assed chūnin like everyone else does. He also knows that whatever report Kakashi gives to him he will accept, no matter what state it's in, and he is already resigned to that fact.

Kakashi's in front of his desk again, and he looks like he shouldn't be standing. There's a huge gash running down his left arm, and it hangs limply at his side. He looks paler than usual and there's a slice taken out of his forehead. Iruka wants to tell him to go to the hospital, to get cleaned up before he falls apart on the mission room floor, but all he can do is stare in shock.

The jōnin slams his report down onto the desk, splattering it and Iruka with blood. Iruka jumps in surprise, and shrinks back from the heated glare Kakashi is giving him. It feels almost as if the jōnin wants him dead. He watches the jōnin storm out and doesn't move until the next person in line shakes him out of his daze.

Sandaime tells him he's sorry but he has to give him a mission because they are really short on able shinobi, and Iruka agrees to do it without checking the parameters first. His heart does a funny flop when he sees who his mission partner is, and then sinks to below his naval as insecurity sets in. He hasn't been on a mission outside of the village since he became a teacher, so his fighting skills are probably a bit rusty. And any mission that Hatake Kakashi is sent on must be dangerous. He thinks the jōnin will be disappointed to know his mission partner is the lousy chūnin he glares at in the mission room and tries to tell the Sandaime that he has changed his mind but the Hokage is already gone. Iruka grits his teeth and gets ready, like the loyal dog he is.

The jōnin looks mad when he sees him, just like he'd expected. He even glances around to see if perhaps this is a joke and his real partner is elsewhere. Iruka wants to throw up.

Kakashi doesn't leave him any time for indecision and runs ahead of him, setting a pace he knows will have his knees screaming at him for weeks. He doesn't speak, communicating only with brief hand signs, and Iruka feels useless.

They're in the middle of a battle before Iruka realizes it. One second they're flying along and the world is silent and the next there are shuriken whistling past his ears and Kakashi's barking at him to hold his own. Kakashi is beautiful in motion, a word he'd never really attributed to the man before, but it's true.

He doesn't have much time to watch, though, as the enemy nin – whoever they are – are coming after him as well. There are three focused on Kakashi and one has been sent to dispatch him, obviously noting him as the weaker of the two. It's true, he's weaker than Kakashi, but Iruka can still hold his own. And he does.

He catches the glint of a blade heading towards Kakashi and his body moves on it's own. The jōnin is facing the other way, focused completely on the target in front of him, and wouldn't be able to turn in time. He cries out wordlessly as the sword slides between his ribs and jerks upwards, slicing bone and tissue. He knows he won't survive this, but he's not sorry.

Kakashi is everywhere at once; a deadly look in his steel gray eye and Iruka remembers that glare being fixed on him. It's worth it, he thinks as he watches the jōnin dance, so long as he lives.

And then Kakashi is kneeling over him, holding him, and the only emotion he has is frustration because those hands are finally touching him and he can't really feel any of his limbs anymore. Kakashi's crying and Iruka doesn't understand why. As far as he knows the jōnin hates him, but the look of absolute terror and desperation in his uncovered eye seems to dispute that fact. Maybe he was wrong.

Iruka struggles to lift a hand to touch the face of the one person he wished he could have gotten to know better. He wants to remove the mask, to see that face properly, but he knows that would never be forgiven and he doesn't have the strength anyway. His fingers slide down the clothed cheek and his arm flops uselessly to the ground.

"Kakashi," he whispers, "I'm sorry." I'm sorry you had to be sent out here with me, sorry I wasn't good enough. I'm sorry that I'm now just a burden you have to carry home. I'm sorry that you'll have to tell Naruto.

Kakashi continues to look distraught and Iruka smiles as he closes his eyes for the last time. Maybe, just maybe, Kakashi doesn't hate him.