Yo, this is going to be a differently laid-out chapter. For the past, I've decided that I will go with the subject-per-chapter layout where each chapter will be another aspect of their lives that they went through. For example, this chapter will be about Iruka 's relationships in elementary.


August 31, 2000

Iruka fidgeted against the wall outside and tried to be as invisible as possible. It wasn't cold outside but he was feeling really cold on the inside, as though everyone outside was staring at the lonely new kid. He wanted to cry but he held it in and told himself that big boys don't cry because they're alone.

"Hey, Iruka, right?" Snapping his head up, Iruka saw two boys coming towards him, the one who sat next to him in class and another one who he didn't recognize.

He nodded tightly and gave them both a smile, "that's me."

"Cool," Kakashi smiled at the new kid and motioned towards the guy next to him. "Iruka, this is my friend Asuma."

"Hiya," the other boy gave Iruka a bright smile and Iruka nervously reciprocated.

"We were wondering if you wanted to play some dodge ball with us." Kakashi said as he coolly spun the ball he held into the air and caught it.

Lips stretching from ear to ear, Iruka nodded and followed them over to another part of the yard where they played until the bell rang.

X-x-X


VVVV

September 21, 2000

His frown deepened and he crossed his arms.

Kakashi had said that they could play with their cars today.

Iruka pouted as he watched Kakashi and Asuma play with their flashy, cool army soldiers over on a hill in the school yard.

It really wasn't fair. Kakashi had told him the other day that they'd most definitely play cars. It especially wasn't fair that Asuma called Kakashi last night and told him that he'd been grounded from his cars and hadn't called Iruka to tell him of the change in plans.

The feeling of being left out was fairly high even as Kakashi waved him over and lent him one of his less-cool cars to use. It had a wheel missing and it was probably the oldest of them all.

Iruka shouldn't have felt jealous of Asuma, right? Asuma and Kakashi had been friends a year longer than they'd known Iruka so… It shouldn't have been a problem, right?

VVVV


X-X-X

January 25, 2002

The wall was cold against his back and he glanced at the door to go inside the school, anxious for the bell to ring.

They'd chosen to join the yearbook club; Kakashi and Asuma. Iruka had joined the science club. He didn't regret picking that one but he did feel the emptiness when his friends were working inside while he was waiting outside.

He wasn't jealous. They all had sleepovers together and went to each other's houses often enough. He was downhearted.

As soon as he'd started getting to know and warm up to Asuma, the older boy told them that he wouldn't be going to the same school as Kakashi and Iruka next year. He was going to an all-French school somewhere on the other side of the river while the other two went to the closest English school; the place where everyone was going.

"Hey, Iruka," the brunet glanced up and gave Yuki, another boy from his class, a bright smile as he sent a greeting the other boy's way. "You want to go grab a basketball and shoot some hoops?"

Smiling, Iruka jumped up and hurried off with Yuki to take his mind off his friends.

X-X-X


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