Chapter 3: Startling Discoveries
Iruka stared blankly at the notes in front of him, his mind barely focusing. He sighed. The last few hours had been less fruitful than he had hoped to be. But no matter how he tried to focus, the words would just swim in front of his eyes. He closed his eyes and rubbed his temples, trying to get the disruptive thoughts out of his mind.
"Are you alright, Iruka?" Mizuki asked in concern.
"Yeah." Iruka sighed as he picked up the notes and read it again. "Just a headache."
"Do you want to go and lie down in the room for a while?"
"No." Iruka turned to his friend with a smile. "I'm alright."
"But you aren't well. I'm sure a rest would be good for you." Mizuki insisted.
"It's alright, Mizuki." The chunin took a glance at the clock. It was almost six in the evening. "I'm leaving soon anyway. I have another appointment. So, let's just get this done as much as we can."
"An appointment?" The white-haired chunin raised an eyebrow.
"Yes." Iruka sighed. "I'm meeting Kakashi-senpai for dinner." The mixed feelings rose in him. He was glad that he would be seeing the older man again. But with the awkwardness that had happened that afternoon, he didn't know if that was really a good idea. He just hoped that Kakashi would have just left the matter to rest and not probe into it anymore.
"An appointment with him?" Mizuki's eyes darkened.
"Yes." Iruka flipped another page of the notes.
"You've been getting on very close terms with him, haven't you?"
Iruka glanced up, surprised at the edge in his friend's tone. He blinked a few times, as the dissatisfaction on Mizuki's face became obvious.
"We've known each other since I was ten, Mizuki. And we've been close all these years." Iruka frowned, wondering what was wrong with the other man. Hadn't Mizuki known that he and Kakashi had known each other for a decade?
"Well, then here's my advice for you, Iruka. Stay away from him before it's too late." Mizuki said as he tapped his pen against the stack of papers in front of him.
"What do you mean?" Iruka stared at his friend, surprised.
Mizuki sighed. "We all know that jounin aren't stable, Iruka. And even more so with Hatake Kakashi's status. Have you ever thought about how dangerous he could be?"
Iruka frowned. "Would you just get to the point, Mizuki?"
"He's one of the most dangerous shinobi in and out of Konoha. He does things beyond our comprehension and he can do things that we can't even imagine happening." Mizuki crossed his arms on the table and eyed the other chunin intently. "What happens if he does snaps someday when you are around him?"
"I know Kakashi-senpai's reputation, Mizuki. But I don't get what you are trying to say here." Iruka's eyes narrowed, as the hints of annoyance came flowing through. What had got them started on this conversation anyway?
"Look here, Iruka. You've got to understand this. Hatake is a trained shinobi. He knows when and how to lock up his emotions. He won't feel any remorse if he ever goes insane and hurts you someday."
"Mizuki!" Iruka's voice was calm and cutting. "What has Kakashi-senpai does that have you speculating about him in such a way?"
Mizuki growled. "I'm just telling you what I've seen and heard. I care for you and I don't want anything to happen to you. He is a cold, ruthless bastard, Iruka. It won't do you any good to hang around him like that."
Somehow, that was enough. Iruka was infuriated. Mizuki had no right. No right to say such things about the jounin when he didn't understand the person beneath the cold façade. Iruka wouldn't say that he understood perfectly just what lies behind that mask. What Kakashi was truly like. But he knew from all these years that the older man just wasn't what Mizuki had said.
"That's enough!" Iruka took in a deep breath as he tried to keep his anger under control. "I appreciate your concern, Mizuki. But I think I know Kakashi-senpai more than you do. He is definitely not some crazy murderer going around slaughtering people just because he can't keep his emotions under control. And as far as I know, he has always been the one to look out for me and to take care of me. He's always there for me and –"
The emotions rose and constricted his throat as he was reminded of how the jounin had always been a part of his life, always been his pillar of strength and how over the years, his reliance on the older man had grown. To a point where he was hoping for something more that Kakashi could ever offer.
He swallowed hard through the thickness in his throat as he set the notes in his hands at the side of the table and stood up.
"I have to go."
The chunin moved to head for the door, even as he kept his anger from showing. He was angry. Angry with himself for dwelling into such emotions. Angry at how things had taken such a turn. Angry that Mizuki had assumed such cruel thoughts about the copy nin – the one person whom he loved and respected. Angry that the white-haired chunin, whom he considered a friend, had even tried to consider poisoning Iruka's mind with such slandering.
But the anger flew out of his mind and was replaced by shock when at the next moment, he found himself being pinned on the floor and his friend's angry face hovering over him.
"Mizuki, what –" Iruka struggled against the vice like grip on his wrists.
"Don't you understand, Iruka? Don't you?"
"What?" Iruka managed to get one of his wrists free and he pushed against the other man in an attempt to get him off.
"Can't you see, Iruka? That I'm concerned for you. I care for you, much more than that obnoxious jounin does. All these years, can't you see a thing?" Mizuki bit out bitterly.
"I don't understand, Mizuki. Get off me!" Iruka growled, torn between anger and panic at his friend's weird behavior.
Mizuki's eyes softened as he gaze into Iruka's ones. He reached out a hand and traced the tanned jaw line, drinking in the sight of the younger chunin. He leaned in, burying his face in the other's shoulders as Iruka tensed.
"Mizuki?" Iruka swallowed hard, half-afraid at the sudden turn of events.
"I like you Iruka. All these years, I've loved you. But you never looked in my direction, never did. In your eyes, it's just Hatake Kakashi."
Iruka froze. From two facts. First, he hadn't thought that his fondness for the jounin had been that obvious that it had warrant the attention from someone who wasn't even one of his closest friends. If Mizuki had seen this, what about those who were constantly around him? Secondly, he had never thought that Mizuki had harbored such thoughts about him, considering that they had only grown close in the last couple of years.
He had no idea how to react as his rational thoughts abandoned him and the only thing he remembered was a pair of lips descending on his own.
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Kakashi stared at his tea for the longest time. Beside him, Asuma and Raidou stared at him curiously, wondering what was so fascinating about the cup of drink that was placed in front every one of them while Genma slumped on the table, still suffering from a headache, a consequence from the drinking session the previous night.
They had been sitting there for hours, meeting up for some tea, like they do every weekend when all of them are in the village. But throughout the afternoon, in the light conversations that were exchanged, Kakashi had barely said more than a few sentences.
Finally, Raidou cleared his throat and addressed the younger man.
"Kakashi, what got you so deep in thoughts?"
The copy nin glanced up briefly at his friend and shrugged. "Nothing much."
"Nothing much?" Asuma quirked an eyebrow in sardonic amusement. "You look as if you are preparing to sneak into some village and assassinate their Kage."
Kakashi sighed as he swirled the tea in his cup.
"Just what is wrong?" Raidou eyed him with concern. It just wasn't like the copy nin to get frayed in the nerves on any matters that isn't life-threatening crucial. And even if there were any such matters, Kakashi had always remained calm.
But that afternoon, the silver-haired jounin had seemed on edge, his eye had been steely cold, his posture tensed and even the way he spoke lacked the tinge of light-heartedness used in casual conversations. He could tell something was bothering Kakashi.
Genma peered up at his friend from his position on the table and managed a small grin. "Yeah, Kakashi, tell us about it. If it's nothing classified, I don't think it will have any detrimental effects. And four brains are better than one, isn't it? We may be able to offer you a solution."
Kakashi sighed and raked a hand through his hair. He hadn't been in the village much for the last few weeks, being away on missions and all. Perhaps, the others would be able to shed some light to the oddity of Iruka's behavior.
He stared at the cup in front of him as he spoke quietly. "Do you know if there is anything that could be bothering Iruka?"
The other three exchanged puzzled glances. Asuma turned to him with an interested look twinkling in his eyes. "Iruka? What happened to Iruka?"
Kakashi sighed. It seems that they were as clueless as him. He shrugged. "Who knows? He's been acting weird."
Genma sat up slightly and blinked at him. "Since when?"
Kakashi shrugged. "I wouldn't have voiced it out if I knew. But he seems pretty disturbed last night. With his drinking antics and all."
"Now that you mentioned, it does seems a little odd that he got himself so drunk." Raidou frowned. "He never does that."
"And he seems out of sorts today. When we had lunch earlier on, it was so apparent that he had something on his mind. But he just refused to say it." Kakashi leaned back in his chair.
Raidou and Asuma exchanged thoughtful glances. The bearded jounin drummed his fingers absently on the table as he ran through the events over the last few weeks, trying to pick out any abnormal conduct from the chunin. When nothing came to mind, he sighed and turned to his friend.
"So, where is he now?"
Kakashi shrugged. "With Mizuki."
"Mizuki?" Raidou blinked in surprise.
"Yeah. He said something about needing Iruka's help to study for the next entry exams."
Genma sat up straight at that sentence. "Are you kidding me?"
"What?" Kakashi stared at him bemusedly.
"Iruka is helping Mizuki to study for the entry exams? What are you going to tell me next? That the Hokage finally realizes that we are all overdue in our need for a rest and he's going to send us on a three months trip to the hot springs village, all expenses paid?" Genma snorted in mirth
Kakashi frowned. "What's so surprising about helping someone else study about the exams?"
"What's so surprising is the person in need of help is Mizuki." Genma drawled. "That kid doesn't need help. Not at all since his academy days." A yawn from the honey-haired jounin punctuated the sentence. "And I heard from Kotetsu and Izumo that he had been the one who had been helping Iruka in the studies when they first took the exams to become assistant teachers. He would have gotten through this entry exam, but apparently, they found his character a little dubious after he came home from his last mission with a dead teammate, and so, they denied his entry to become a teacher until investigations are cleared. From what I heard, he fared much better than Iruka in the exams and he knows it."
"How did you know these?" Asuma raised an eyebrow.
"Internal sources." Genma grinned. "I happen to know someone who had been on the deciding committee for the new batch of teachers."
"And he told you classified information?" Raidou frowned.
"Well, he didn't exactly say what was so doubtful about Mizuki's character. But we can all guess from experience just what he is trying to say."
Kakashi's brows furrowed in deep thoughts. What started off as mere concern for his friend had gotten a little more complicated with this little piece of knowledge. He had been trying to understand what Iruka is going through and hopefully, could offer a little help to the younger man. But now, he needs to start considering too, just what Mizuki's intentions are if he did not actually needed help for the entry exams.
So lost in thoughts, he did not realize his other three friends had stopped talking and looking at him intently.
"You are thinking too hard, Kakashi." Asuma smirked.
The jounin snorted. "I'm not."
"Right. Tell that to someone who hasn't known you for the last two decades of their lives." Raidou shook his head in amusement.
Kakashi shot him a dry look. Then he glanced at the clock in the teahouse. Almost six in the evening. He had an arrangement with Iruka that night. Pushing back his chair, he gave a nonchalant wave and stepped away.
"Hey, where are you going?" Genma called after him.
"I'm meeting Iruka for dinner."
Three pairs of eyes followed the back of the copy nin as he stepped out of the place and turned around the corner. Raidou turned back to the table and regarded his two friends.
"Personally, I don't see anything weird about Iruka's conduct. But did you guys realize that Kakashi is acting a little differently?"
Asuma gave him a thoughtful look. Genma rolled the senbon in his mouth and nodded.
"Well, initially, I thought it was just me. But now that you have brought it up, it does seem it's not an overactive imagination on my part. Kakashi does seem a little out of sorts over the last few weeks. He gets edgy and concerned over things, especially those that involves Iruka. I think what he brought up earlier about Iruka clearly tells us this. He's getting pretty observant about Iruka's every movement."
"Yes. If I didn't know him any better, I would have said he was being a little overly protective of Iruka. Maybe even possessive. But Kakashi never do such things and everything he does has a purpose behind it." Asuma grunted. "God knows just what exactly he's thinking."
Raidou sighed. So he wasn't the only one who had noticed the change in the copy nin. Sure, he had known that over the years, Kakashi and Iruka had grown much closer and the bond between them was much stronger than any other than they had built with the rest of their friends.
And it was somewhat surprising to see how Kakashi had grown to become so much more attentive to Iruka and noticing every signs of discomfort and worries at first glance that he was beginning to wonder, if this relationship had somehow grown beyond the boundaries of platonic.
But what was perplexing was that Kakashi didn't seem to have noticed the change in the direction of his attentiveness towards the chunin and Raidou couldn't help worrying how it will be affecting the copy nin subconsciously.
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