A/N: There isn't much to say about this entry. It's short. It's titled "Rain," and it's about rain. Yippee.


Title: Rain

Themes: #34 – Rituals; #52 – Rain.


It was a well-known fact throughout the village that Iruka loved the rain.

No one really knew why; no one bothered to ask. They all mostly just assumed that Iruka, being from a water-based clan, had a natural love for anything water-related. Iruka never said straight out that he loved the rain, but they all knew nevertheless, because every time the rain came along, he was a different person.

His students knew, because when the first drops hit the windowpanes, he would automatically pause in his lecture, no matter how fired up he was, and he would turn quietly to the window and watch for a good minute or so before seeming to rouse himself from a dream, apologizing to his class and continuing the lesson. The children looked forward to rainy days because he always dismissed them early, and even Konohamaru and his gang could escape detention when there were heavy clouds overhead.

His coworkers knew, because whenever it rained outside Iruka would always show up in the mission room soaked through from head to toe, his unruly hair spilling in wet brown locks down his shoulders, his hitai-ate in his hand. His face would be flushed and he would be smiling, and nobody would mention to him that he was half an hour late for the start of his shift because he rarely looked so happy.

His neighbors knew, because he would stand outside on his balcony for hours and hours, letting the rain pour down onto him as he looked up at the darkening sky, smiling like a little kid with a secret. And if it stormed into the night, his window would stay lit for hours and hours into the morning until the rain finally faded away, whereas all would go dark in his apartment once again.

Kakashi knew, because he had seen all of these things, and more. He saw how Iruka always insisted on walking home when it rained, rather than using a teleportation jutsu like any right-minded shinobi would have done. He saw how Iruka would grade papers with strange enthusiasm, how he'd have dinner prepared in half the time it usually took, how Kakashi's sexual advances would be welcomed rather than turned away as they usually were. His lover's libido seemed to spike with the rain; he became more playful, more seductive, more willing to experiment—and Kakashi certainly wasn't complaining.

And so here he was, sitting up in bed with the latest volume of Icha Icha folded in his lap, quietly watching as Iruka stood just inside the large glass window that led into their bedroom. Outside the sky was dark, the air heavy, the rain pouring down in thick drops that sang as they hit the roof, the trees, the ground. And Iruka just stood there, quietly watching, a small smile evident in his faint reflection on the glass window.

Slowly setting his book aside on the nightstand, Kakashi threw his legs over the side of the bed and got up, making his way across the room to where his lover stood, gently wrapping his arms around Iruka's waist and nuzzling his neck affectionately.

Iruka hm-ed softly in response and turned to press a gentle kiss to Kakashi's temple. "You should be sleeping," the young teacher whispered.

"Not alone," the jounin answered. "Come to bed?"

Iruka turned from him to face the window again. "Yeah, not yet, okay?" he said. "When it's finished."

Kakashi said nothing, having expected as much. After a few moments of silence, though, he shifted just enough to rest his chin on Iruka's shoulder. "Ne, Iruka," he said. "Why do you love the rain so much?"

When the chuunin turned and blinked at him in confusion, Kakashi smiled. "Everyone knows you like rain," he said. "But no one knows why."

Iruka smiled softly. "Is that what everyone else thinks?" he asked. "That I like the rain?"

Kakashi shrugged. "Well, you get so happy whenever it rains, so people just assume," he said. "Though I can't seem to remember you ever saying so."

"Mm-hm." Iruka turned again toward the rain outside. A good few moments passed before he spoke, his voice barely above a whisper. "I don't love the rain, Kakashi," he said. "Everyone I ever loved died or got hurt in it."

His lover's silence was an indication for him to continue, and so he did. "After the Kyuubi attack, there was a thunderstorm. I barely found my parents' bodies in the rain. My sensei and the rest of my team were slaughtered like animals in front of me in the rain. It rained during Sandaime-sama's funeral, and when Naruto and Sasuke nearly killed each other at the Valley of the End, it was raining then too." He paused to take a deep, shaky breath. "Every time it happens…it always rains."

He let his bodyweight fall back slightly, just enough so that he was leaning into Kakashi rather than standing straight. He felt his lover tighten his embrace instinctively as Kakashi whispered, "Then why are you always so cheerful when it rains?"

Iruka sighed, turning just enough to bury his face in Kakashi's bare neck. "S'not the rain's fault," he murmured. "It's not like the rain caused the deaths or the pain, so I don't blame it. It's like I don't blame Naruto for being the Kyuubi's vessel." He paused. "Besides," he said, "rain cleanses. It purifies; it washes away sin. And I think that's something people like us should definitely be grateful for, right?"

He felt rather than heard Kakashi's answering agreement before the jounin whispered, "Iruka."

"Hm?"

"Remember the night we confessed?" his lover asked. "It was raining then too."

Iruka smiled, reaching up to give Kakashi a proper kiss that left them both flushed and breathless. "Yes, I remember," he said. "Let's go to bed."

The rain continued to pour outside, but they didn't mind.