Author's Notes

- Thanks so much to everyone who read!!!

- Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed!!!

- Enjoy ! ... hopefully :)

Story Notes

- This takes place a week after CDs.

- I was reading back through some of the previous stories and I realized that I hadn't mentioned Mizuki in regards to Iruka's music collection. So, I felt the need to do something about it. And it gave me a much needed break from my homework XD

Warnings: Little bit of coarse language, some shounen-ai, etc. Pretty tame really.

Disclaimer: Naruto and its characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto. Figured You Out belongs to Nickelback.

CDs: Part 2

Kakashi was going to be in soooooo much trouble if he was caught.

The jounin had come across a small cardboard box during his cleaning endeavors the previous week and Iruka had taken it out of his hands before Kakashi had a chance to even read the black marker scrawls on its top. The dolphin had been casual about it, citing some scraps of his childhood that would hold no interest for Kakashi, and stuffing it behind the audio cleaning supplies.

So naturally the scarecrow hadn't been able to stop thinking about the damn thing and the first chance he got Kakashi snuck back into Iruka's apartment while the chuunin was teaching his classes.

Kakashi made his way to the entertainment system, raising his hitai-ate to check the shelving with his sharingan; being sneaky made him doubly paranoid. No traps, not that there ever have been traps, but... you never know. It sounded lame even in his own head, but he was too close to sweet satisfaction to care how uncool he was being. He knelt in front of the large shelving unit, wooden floor hard and unforgiving under his knees. Nothing was out of order within the media and Kakashi was proud of his chuunin for keeping it so neat; he wondered how long it would last.

The boxes of specialized CDs were bypassed, Kakashi's hand unwavering in its pursuit of the forbidden fruit. "Ruka didn't say I couldn't see it, just that I probably wouldn't care to. He was rationalizing, dear kami he was rationalizing and that was never a good thing. The far left hand door was opened, rows of cleaning supplies pushed to the side. Kakashi 's fingertips found the box by braille in the dark space and pulled it into the light of day.

It was nothing special. A plain, non descript cardboard box, about the size of four stacked bentos. Bits of tape hung off at odd angles, some of the kanji ripped off with the top layer of brown paper, as though it had been opened and sealed numerous times until the final strip of tape was adhered. It looked to be several years since anyone had seen inside the box. Tape's yellowed, marker's faded and - well here's a date. That takes out the guess work. Black script dated the box's last opening as six years prior. Warnings marched across every surface , ' Do Not Open' and 'It's Over' and a simple yet expressive ' NO!!!' directly on top. Similar labels were discovered among the older writings, along with what appeared to be a name that had been scribbled over until it was no longer legible.

These aren't warnings for other people. These are things Iruka put on the box to keep himself from opening it, like someone putting a note on a box of chocolates during their diet. Except whatever's in this box is more damaging than a few bon bons. Kakashi once again exposed Obito's eye and checked the box for any traps. It was clean, nothing more complicated than industrial strength adhesive strips.

The jounin produced a thin blade from his flak vest and carefully pulled it along the seam where the two flaps met underneath the tape. There was the satisfying sound of a clean tear followed by two more swift cuts to the sides of the box. Kakashi drew in a deep breath through his masked nose. Okay, this is it... He eased the flaps open, revealing the box's precious contents.

" ' Mizuki: Remember' ". A CD stared back at the silver haired man, sitting directly underneath the box top, kanji glaring darkly from the cover. Kakashi picked the disc up and turned it over in his gloved hands. The case looked heavily used; scratches, chips, smudges covering the plastic square. Now that I think about it, I never found any ' Mizuki' CDs in Iruka's other boxes. I guess I just didn't want to think about him having any type of ... connection... with my little dolphin. Kakashi popped the case open and placed the disc into the bottom most player. Then he moved on to the rest of the box's interior. The first chords of music were vaguely familiar and Kakashi hummed quietly as he rifled through the various items.

// I like your pants around your feet...And I like the dirt that's on your knees
And I like the way you still say please...While you're looking up at me
You're like my favorite damn disease...//

A stack of photographs was handled with care. Mizuki and Iruka together at the academy, picnicking at the lake, training, dancing at a party of some sort, another party... The happy faces grinned at the jounin, Iruka's bright genuine smile and Mizuki's cocky smirk. Candids and posed, color and black and white, all the pictures displayed domestic contentment. Kakashi continued to flip through the happy memories until he came to the bottom of the stack, separated by a rubber band. The band was removed and the shinobi was studying a set of black and whites that he recognized as Raidou's unique photojournalistic style. That man should be transferred to our Intelligence Section. Ibiki would love to have someone with his abilities. Kakashi went through the pile slowly, taking his time with each image.

// And I love the places that we go... And I love the people that you know
And I love the way you can't say no...Too many long lines in a row
I love the powder on your nose...//

Unlike the first set of pictures that showed a lovey dovey couple without a care in the world, there were no smiles in this second group. Most seemed to have been taken at different social functions and obviously without the subjects' knowledge. Iruka and Mizuki arguing at a sensei party, arguing at a jounin-chuunin party, arguing at a picnic by the lake, another jounin-chuunin party... Kakashi paused as a wave of fury pounded through his blood; one photo, apparently taken at a nightclub, had captured Mizuki grabbing Iruka by the wrist in a show of angered possession while he screamed into the brunette's face. It was quickly placed at the bottom of the stack. The next string of 5x7s seemed to have been taken at a large official shinobi function, most likely a political dinner for some visiting dignitary. The last image was very telling. Iruka and Mizuki sat close together, side by side, at a formally laid table, the white linens a stark contrast against their dark uniforms. The close up showed every detail of their expressions. Mizuki's head was turned away from Iruka, his eyes focused on the table, somewhere between his plate and his neighbor's. He looked as though he were barely restraining his anger. Iruka's face was also turned in the opposite direction of his lover, his sable eyes looking off into the distance. His face clearly displayed a resigned unhappiness.

While the image lacked the belligerent tone that permeated the others, it was much more disheartening to the jounin. So young, and already willing to settle on being miserable for his foreseeable future.

The pictures were placed back into their rubber restraint and set to the side, though Kakashi took a few more moments to look fondly at a 'happy' photo of Iruka with his long hair unbound and falling around his face. The jounin contemplated ripping it in half to rid the image of a grinning Mizuki standing beside the dolphin, but decided that would definitely be overstepping his bounds. He wasn't even supposed to be touching this box ; much less ripping apart the photos inside. Kakashi made a mental note of the background and approximate age of the Iruka in the picture and promised himself that he would ask Raidou if he had any other photos of the same occasion. Preferably of just Iruka. Maybe swimming at the lake...naked... Wait! Back on track, back on track! But, there was that one of him in a yukata at matsuri-gyah! Stop thinking with the smaller head, damnit!!! He glanced at the wall clock. I've got less than half an hour before 'Ruka comes home. I have to get through all this stuff before he gets here. ( And it's not small, thankyouverymuch). Kakashi's inner voice snapped back at him and he wondered if he was getting that much closer to Sakura's level of schizophrenia.

// I like the freckles on your chest... And I like the way you like me best
And I like the way you're not impressed...While you put me to the test
I like the white stains on your dress...//

These lyrics are a little rough for Iruka. Kakashi pushed the questionable lyrics to the back of his mind as he plundered the box further. His poking fingers discovered another banded stack of goods, this time old and faded ticket stubs. The colors had dulled with time and handling, but the silver haired shinobi was still able to make out the typed labels of movie theaters and festival booths. Quite the nostalgic one, aren't we Beloved. A folded square of cloth was next. Kakashi fingered the soft material, admiring its pattern of ivory colored wheat stalks on an obsidian background. He guessed it to be from a formal kimono. Lifting it to his face, the jounin lowered his mask to sniff the dusty fabric; it smelled vaguely of Iruka's soap, but mostly of dust and cardboard.

// And I love the way you pass the check...And I love the good times that you wreck
And I love your lack of self-respect...While you passed out on the deck
I love my hands around your neck...//

Now, that is definitely too rough for my Iruka. Kakashi glanced up at the player, single eye narrowed as though the electronic device was at fault for the type of music flowing from the speakers. But, I guess it suits what I've heard of Mizuki's personality. Bastard treated Iruka terrib-OW!!! His thoughts were interrupted by a sudden prick to his naked finger. Kakashi jerked his hand from the box and brought the injured digit to light. A tiny dot of bright crimson stood out on his left ring finger; he stuck it into his mouth and searched for the culprit. He found an earring sticking out of the bottom of the box, half hidden by a coiled braid of silver hair.

Kakashi tugged the piece of jewelry free and examined its unusual shape as he tried to remember if he had ever seen piercing scars on Iruka's ears. It was a shuriken, about the size of his thumbnail, its edges razor sharp and dangerous. You could actually do some damage with this, if used properly. Maybe it was used undercover. Kakashi admired the workmanship, it was obviously an expensive piece with high quality engravings spiraling from the center.

// And now I know who you are...It wasn't that hard, just to figure you out
(Now I did, you wonder why)
And now I know who you are...It wasn't that hard, just to figure you out...//

The shuriken was exchanged for a glittering silver pendant minus a chain. This ornament was fashioned in the shape of a dolphin, its back arched gracefully. Iruka arches his back just like this when I-Gyah! Can I go just five minutes without thinking about how to molest that delectable sweet ass chuu- Kakashi dropped the sea creature back into the box and rushed to find something else to distract him from his hentai thoughts. A smooth stone tumbled into view, its blue colored surface cool beneath his fingers. Dried flowers were wrapped in a sheet of folded paper, faded kanji scrawled across its yellowing front. The silver haired man was careful of the delicate blossoms; a black-eyed susan, fringes of fernbrake, perfectly flat sakuras. He caught a few of the words written on the paper, decided it looked too much like some sort of love letter cum apology note from Mizuki and made himself not read the rest of it.

// I like your pants around your feet... And I like the dirt that's on your knees
And I like the way you still say please...While you're looking up at me
You're like my favorite damn disease...//

I wish I knew more about Iruka. Kakashi mused to himself. I did learn a lot from Raidou and Genma. Hell, Genma just blurts things out half the time, much to 'Ruka's disapproval. Though Iruka doesn't seem bothered when I ask him things, but there are just some things... The jounin tended to skirt around what he considered intense subjects, like Iruka's past relationships. In fact, that was the only subject he didn't broach openly and Iruka rarely ever spoke of them. The brunette had no problem regaling Kakashi with anecdotes of his childhood, without prompting, happy memories of his deceased parents and friends lost in battle. Iruka didn't appear to have any issues with discussing lost loved ones. But he never volunteered any information on his lovers, one night stands, boyfriends and girlfriends. Kakashi knew, thanks to Genma's big mouth, that Iruka had numerous partners when he was younger. " The best lay in three countries", I believe were Genma's exact words. A pair of Ichiraku hashi were moved to the side, a date written down the side of the wooden sticks along with ' Happy Birthday 'Ru-'Ru'.

// And I hate the places that we go... And I hate the people that you know
And I hate the way you can't say no... Too many long lines in a row
I hate the powder on your nose...//

I don't want to open up old wounds; I know how painful that can be, but... At the far end of the box sat seven CD cases, each labeled with the silver haired traitor's name. Kakashi tipped them forward, one by one, pondering over their content. I feel like there's a side to him he's afraid to show me. He opened the first case and furrowed his brow. The CD was shattered. It was still in its circular indentation, but the prismatic disc had been broken into at least a dozen jagged puzzle pieces. And I don't want to push him. Kakashi closed the case and moved on the next one. The jounin found a similar pattern of hairline fractures throughout the CD. One by one, Kakashi cracked open the plastic cases only to find broken pieces.

// And now I know who you are...It wasn't that hard, just to figure you out
(Now I did, you wonder why)
And now I know who you are...It wasn't that hard, just to figure you out
(Now I did, you wonder why)
(Why not before, you never tried)
(Gone for good, and this is it)...//

Kakashi held the last case in his hands, staring at the carefully contained mess of shards, his tortuous thoughts rumbling inside his head. The player clicked quietly as the song came to an end. The jounin listened as the equipment continued to hum ,but no music came forth. Absently, his hand reached out and pushed the advance button to jump to the next track. Nothing happened. He pushed it again. Silence. Slight irritation set in and Kakashi tore his gray gaze away from his lap to glare at the player. The monitor had the correct number displayed, but nothing was playing. Kakashi jumped from track to track, watching the numbers flicker onto the screen, until he reached the last in the queue and was directed back to the first song. Apparently the first and only song on the ex-lover's last disc. Kakashi sat silently as the same notes filtered through the speakers once more, nearly covering the sound of the front door opening. The jounin jerked his head up to see the exasperated expression marring the beautifully tanned face of his beloved.

I want to know everything about him.

owari