The village was bustling with sounds of laughter everywhere. The streets walls were decorated with red and pink. The market place was crowded with people. They were all buying gifts for their loved Ones. After all, it was Valentine's Day.
In the midst of the crowd you could see a single chunin, standing by a stand staring at a silver necklace. Iruka looked intently at the small dolphin that hung from the chain. He always wanted one of those.
"Maybe I should get it" he thought to himself
After the conversation between Kakashi. Iruka has been in a good mood all the time. Whenever his friends ask, if something had happened. Iruka would just ignore the question and say it was nothing at all. Iruka's mind had been on the jounin, since they parted. He keeps thinking about Kakashi wherever he goes and starts day-dreaming when the words Kakashi said repeats in his head.
Iruka snapped out of his day-dream and walked away. He said to himself "maybe I'll buy it later". Unaware that a certain someone was spying on him. Iruka made his way home to get ready for the festival that would take place tonight in regards for Valentine's day.
Kakashi jumped out of the tree he was hiding in and went to the stand and picked up the necklace.
"Dolphin?" he smiled to himself. He payed the stall owner and started to walk away only to be confronted by his annoying rival, Maito Gai.
"Kakashi, my eternal rival. I see that you have already bought your present for your one and only" said Gai
"Gai." Kakashi said lazily.
"Oh! The sweet sweet feeling of bring young. Kakashi, lets have a spar for being alive on this day. This day to celebrate LOVEEEEEEeee!! Kakashi. Kakashi. KAKASHIII" Gai had opened his eyes to nothing but thin air. Kakashi had vanished before he could finish
"Damn. His as annoying as ever. Ah..I feel soo tired" Kakashi was in front of the memorial stone. He took out the dolphin necklace and watched it carefully as the wind moved it back and forth.
"Maybe, I should ask him to go to the festival with me. What do you think, Obito, Sensei? I wonder if he'll say yes." Kakashi talked to the stone.
He is always been coming here and talking to the memorial stone. Talking to Obito and his Sensei.
"Whose there?" Kakashi springed up as he heard the rustle of grass.
"Iruka." Kakashi said a bit surprised. Thinking what the chunin was doing here.
"Kakashi?" Iruka said, his face already starting to turn a light pink.
"What are you doing here?" Kakashi asked.
"I..I was just gonna put these flowers on the memorial stone." replied Iruka gesturing toward the stone.
"Oh!" Kakashi moved away as iruka approached the stone.
"I'll leave you alone." Kakashi said, but before he could disappear, Iruka grabbed his hands and said that it was ok if he stayed. Kakashi nodded, and went to lean against a nearby tree giving Iruka his space. Iruka content that the jounin wasn't going anywhere, turned to the stone and ran his fingers over his parents names.
He put the flower down and prayed for the longest time and before he got up he said "I love you mom, I love you dad."
"Are you done?" Kakashi asked slowly approaching the chunin.
"Yeah. Uh..Thanks for staying" Iruka said as his blush went up a degree
"No problem. So, what are you doing today sensei?" Kakashi asked as they both made their way out of the forest.
"Nothing really. Schools already over for the day. It was really a hectic day. All the girls were all over the boys. I feel a little bad for the guys. Especially Sasuke-kun. It seems as if he has won all the hearts this year. But I think Sasuke-kun already has someone he likes. He didn't even look at the poor girls. Also Naruto-kun, seems to get annoyed at Sasuke-kun for getting all the attention, and that there started a quarrel between them." Iruka said
"Is that so. That doesn't sound so bad. I bet I would go crazy if I was younger and if Iruka-sensei was in my class." Kakashi said with a little smirk in his face.
Iruka stopped in his tracks. His heart pounding out of his chest.
"Oh-0h! Not again. Calm down my heart. Calm down. His probably making fun of me again." Iruka told himself
"Sensei?" Kakashi said, not expecting the look he was getting from Iruka. He thought that the chunin would surely start yelling at him.
"Are you making fun of me?" Kakashi was taken aback by Iruka's words
"Huh!" was the only thing that came out of Kakashi's mouth
"I asked, are you making fun of me. Just like right now when you said that,or when you said that you were mesmerized by me" Iruka asked his voice shaking now a little.
Kakashi could only stare at Iruka's hung face. He didn't think that the chunin cared about what he said. Proud of himself for leaving such a strong impression, but he didn't mean to hurt Iruka in any way. So, Kakashi decided to go for the truth.
"No, I wasn't." Kakashi said
Iruka's head sprung up at Kakashi's words. He was gonna say something but was cut off by Kakashi.
"I know that the first time we met, I thought you were a girl and I admit, I really fell for you that time." Kakashi could see that Iruka wanted him to get to the point already. He didn't take the chunin for a impatient person. But, for some reason Kakashi felt as if right now was not the right time to tell Iruka everything.
"Iruka, I tell you everything tonight. Will you go to the festival with me? I promise I'll say what I have to say everything there." Kakashi asked, hoping the chunin wouldn't get mad.
Iruka was confused. He wanted a answer now. He needed a answer now. But he didn't want to push Kakashi. So,
"OK. Fine, I meet you at the festival." Iruka said reluctantly.
Kakashi let out a sigh of relief and said that he would meet the chunin by Ichiraku's Ramen shop. Kakashi nodded and left. Iruka lingered for a minute but decided to head home. He didn't know what Kakashi was gonna tell him, but he hoped that whatever Kakashi was gonna tell him that they could still be friends. He liked the company of the jounin.
AT THE FESTIVAL
Iruka was waiting for Kakashi to show up for half an hour now. The chunin was slightly pissed at the moment. Also it din't really help much when the stupid jounin showed up 30 minutes late as if it was nothing. Iruka was kind of yelling at Kakashi for being a lazy bum, and being so late. The onlookers from the street started staring at them as if they were a happy married couple having everyday problems. At that thought, Iruka blew up even more. Of course, Kakashi couldn't resist that cute face of Iruka's and laughed a little. Having enough of embarrassment Iruka took Kakashi's hand and dashed of in the opposite direction. They went around the festival the whole time. Playing games, and Kakashi winning a big dolphin for Iruka, which made him very happy and Iruka trying to catch the fish with the net and not really doing well. They really did look like a couple in love. But now came the moment of truth. The festival was almost at its end. The fireworks were the only thing left. Kakashi took Iruka's hand and took him to the side where nobody would see them.
Iruka's heart beat starts to race faster as the moment of truth approached.
"This is it. His gonna tell me that he doesn't like me that way." Iruka said to himself. Not really wanting to hear anything right now. Even though he was so impatient to know.
"Iruka, I...I know how hard it can be to lose someone you love. I've been there" Kakashi started off, catching Iruka off guard. He didn't expect the jounin to say this. But he didn't interrupt.
"I lost everyone I ever cared about. For some time now, I even stopped caring. But that day when I bumped into you again, I saw the 17 year old me again. As if wanting to go back in time, so that I could spent the day with you over again. So that I could have the people I care about beside me. But life doesn't always go as we plan it." Kakashi said.
Iruka didn't really understand what the jounin was getting at but he still listened, not saying a word.
"I wasn't lying when I said I was mesmerized by you. I know that I thought you were a girl, " a little frown appearing on Iruka's face as he remembered the time Kakashi thought he was a girl. But his heart raced even faster, knowing that this was it.
"I don't know how to say this. I don't even know what this is, actually. But I do know that I don't want you to leave me. I like having you around. I think about you all the time now. I think about what you like, what you don't like and what you are doing when you are at home. I think about you, but I don't know if this is love." Kakashi turned around to face Iruka who was just standing there and taking in every word that Kakashi had just said.
"This probably isn't what you wanted to hear. But I don't want to hurt you. For all you all, I could end up dead tomorrow and I don't..." Kakashi was cut off by Iruka
"Baka jounin. Just shut up." Kakashi just stared at Iruka
"Kakashi, I also don't know if this is love or not. But I do know that whenever you are near me, my heart starts pounding very fast, like right now. I can't think properly when I'm around you. It also hurts when I'm all alone, when I know that you are out there somewhere and I could be with you. I know what its like to fall in love with a ninja, especially if he is the famous Copy Nin. I know that because I'm a ninja too. I know that your life can be broken into tiny pieces in just about a second. But...but even so I...I..I want to be with you." Iruka finished as a slight blush appeared on his face.
Kakashi was just staring at Iruka right now. Iruka looked up at the jounin to see him looking at him and quickly just hung his head down again. As if the feeling that the Gods have answered his pleading cries, Kakashi approached Iruka and pulled his face upward. He could feel Iruka shake in his arms. Kakashi took out the dolphin necklace and put it around Iruka's neck.
"Whe..re did you get that?" Iruka asked
"I saw you looking at it when you were passing through the market place. I thought that I would get it for you. After all, its Valentine's Day, I couldn't just leave you high and dry." Kakashi replied back.
"Thank you." Iruka replied, happy with his present
He looked up to see Kakashi's face staring down at his. Kakashi leaned forward and brushed his lips on Iruka's lips. Iruka, not resisting allowed the jounin to sweep him off his feet. At that moment, the fireworks sounded all around and the sky was filled with colorful sparkles all around. Not being able to contain himself, a tear slid down Iruka's face. Kakashi feeling the tear drop looked up at his now lover and asked
"What's the matter?" He asked with concern in his eyes
"Nothing. Nothing at all. Everything is fine." Iruka said
"I love you stupid jounin" Iruka whispered in Kakashi's ear as he leaned in for another kiss.
HEY! To the people out here who have read my story, I wanted to thank you all and would appreciate if you reviewed after you did. Also, I'm not really mentioning Naruto and Sasuke. This story is stirctly IruxKak. The kyuubi attacked never took place. Jut so you know. Thats it. ENJOY!!
