AN: Uhm... To all my followers... I'M SO SOSOSOSOSOSOSO SORRY. *dies in a corner.* I've had school and exams and everything and... Forgive me? Pwease? :3 Not to mention my new obsession with Homestuck... So... Anyone who has any ideas for this story, review or pm me? I'll write a oneshot for the best suggestion xD

Disclaimer~ I wish I owned, but I, unfortunately, do not...

Enjoy! :D

~O-Iruka, Sleeping Kakashi, Sakura-O~

Iruka woke up slowly, his mind still in a daze. What had that dream been about? Sure, Kakashi was insanely attractive and Iruka had dreamt about him before, but the dreams had never been so… Real? Lifelike? Frustrating?

He slowly sat up and groaned as his skin tightened where the stitches and bandages held it together. It was nothing like the pain he remembered having with the Sand-nin, but it was still unpleasant. He felt weak and helpless, being reduced to a trembling mess from just sitting up. Kami… I can't wait until I can get out of here. I need to train. Get my strength. Work out what to do with this stupid arm…

His right arm was currently numb, an ache the only indication that it wasn't completely useless. He was glad that he might not have to learn to make any signs one handed. Perhaps Kakashi could help him…? WAIT. Why am I still thinking about him!? Gah! His head dropped into his good hand as he breathed in a few deep breaths, starting when he heard a soft sigh coming from the chair next to the bed. "Wha..?"

His head whipped around, eyes training on Kakashi's figure, trying to assess if he truly was asleep or faking it. He breathed a sigh of relief and shook his head when he decided the copy-nin was asleep. "Damn it Kakashi… You're stalking me, aren't you..? First my dreams and now in real life… I'm not complaining, but…" But he couldn't stand being around the sexy, amazing ninja for long without getting cranky, the fact that he wasn't his irritating him more than Naruto or Konohamaru ever could. He could look at him, lust after him, and even be friends with him but Kami forbid of he tried to touch! "Ever since Mizu betrayed us… You've been on my mind… I… Fuck. Kakashi… I can't stand it anymore!" His head dropped to his hand again as he trembled, his emotions getting the best of him.

An arm wrapped around his shoulders and he jumped, ashamed that he hadn't heard the person move or approach him. He leaned into their body, his trembling subsiding slightly. "Are you alright, Iruka-Sensei?" Sakura's soft voice calmed him even more and he nodded.

"Y-Yes. I suppose I am. I was just… Everything kind of … My emotions…" He searched for the words to explain how he was feeling, letting out a soft growl of frustration when he couldn't come up with any good words.

"It was a bit too much all of a sudden, wasn't it? But… I… Sorry if I'm prying, but I've seen how you look at Kakashi-sensei when he's not looking. He looks at you the same way." She smiled softly, looking between the sleeping man and the one she was supporting. "I think that you both are hiding the same thing, but… I'm not sure." She shrugged before gently helping Iruka back onto his back, fluffing up his pillows and covering him with the blankets. "If you need anything else, just press this button, okay? I'll be back in the morning to check you over and talk some more. I have to make my rounds, though!" She giggled and kissed his forehead like a mother would their child. "Good night, Iruka-sensei. And good night to you too, Kakashi-sensei, you eavesdropper." She walked off, muttering good-naturedly about stupid men who couldn't sort through their own feelings and stupid ninja who couldn't even spy correctly.

Kakashi's single eye opened slowly, meeting Iruka's wide, chocolaty ones with a steely, indecipherable look. "Is… Is it true, Iruka?"

The chuunin looked down, ashamed that he had been found out. "Yes it is, Kakashi-sensei. I've… fancied you ever since you took Naruto under your care and treated him so well, but… I think it started well before then…"

"When. Explain it all to me."

Iruka looked up, terrified, and nodded. "O-Of course…"

~O-Le past-O~

Iruka sighed as he walked toward his house, dreading the piles of paperwork awaiting him. He had gotten a job at the Academy about a month ago and his workload had almost tripled compared to when he was a student teacher. It was insane! Not to mention the fact that the Hokage insisted that he handle important work at the Missions desk, which gave him even more work on top of the messy little ninja writing that he had to decipher and grade…

Had he eaten that day yet? Probably not, though he remembered, or thought he remembered, eating an apple as he had graded papers during lunch break. Maybe that's why he felt so weird today? So empty…

He shook his head, trying to get his thoughts together as he approached his apartment. Was everything always so shimmery and shiny with little waves going through it? Hmmm… He'd have to get that checked on his free day next weekend.

His vision only got worse as he stepped into his living room and dropped his papers onto the desk. Had he closed the door behind him? He really should go check. He turned and gasped as the world lurched around him and he was suddenly on his hands and knees, barely able to hold himself up. "Help…" It came out as a whisper as the world around him went black.

He lay there, drifting in and out of consciousness for days, unable to do much more than moan in pain and hunger. No one came, assuming he was taking a well-deserved break from his hectic life. (He did deserve one. He had been working nonstop since he had become a chuunin, often working himself to exhaustion so he could help mould young minds, helping them on their journey to become ninja.) Iruka slowly made his way to the kitchen in one of his bouts of consciousness, reaching up onto the counter to try and possibly find something to drink or to eat. He gripped at what he assumed was one of the fruits he had around the kitchen and smiled in relief. Maybe this would help…

He retracted his hand, the fruit in tow, but he started losing himself to the darkness again. He tried to move faster, but his movements brought down the cutting board that the apple had been on down with his prize. Sharp knives hit the ground around him, one or two nicking him. One, though, stabbed through his hand, drawing a cry from him. Maybe if he didn't move, there wouldn't bee too much blood? Oh… Too late… The last thing that he saw as he lost consciousness yet again was a shock of silver hair flying across the room, kneeling before him, his name flying from the figure's lips.

Iruka was in the hospital for almost a week as they tried to figure out what was wrong with him. In the end, they decided that it had been one of his students' idea of a prank. They had set some sort of trap, something to make him sleep through the next day so they would have a day off with a substitute. They hadn't known that the Chuunin's weakened, slightly malnourished body would react the way it had, knocking him out for almost a week. If a certain Jounin hadn't been on his way to the marked and hadn't heard Iruka's cry of pain, he most likely still would be laying on the ground in his own blood either dead or close enough that no Medic-nin could have saved him.

When he asked who saved him, the doctors frowned and looked at each other. "He doesn't like his identity to be given out… I'm sure that you'll hear of him soon enough. He just got back to the village from an extended mission." That had been the day that Kakashi had started his civilian life after his time as an ANBU, so everyone had been told to keep quiet about his past as much as possible. Iruka couldn't help but remember the silver hair and how the nurses talked about the gorgeous Jounin that had hung around while he had been out. With those two clues, he had gone out in search of his savior, learning his name and trying to think of how he could repay the man.

Hatake Kakashi. The elusive Copy-nin. Three months later and that was still all Iruka knew of the man. He hadn't caught even glimpse of him and was beginning to wonder if he was real. He was learning to manage his time much better now, using his down time at the mission desk to grade and look through the missions he had to assign. It had also helped that he had talked to the Hokage to lighten his load at the desk. He only worked ever other day, and even then he only gave out some of the hardest and most top secret missions- the missions too easy for the ANBU to do that fell to the Jounin of the village.

One day, he was pouring over his students' test from the day before when a scroll dropped unceremoniously before him, the scrawl on it not much better than his starting students' writing. He glared up at the Jounin who had given it to him, barely holding back a gasp at the silver hair. "What the hell is this?"

"My mission report?" He looked surprised, either by how Iruka glared at him or by seeing him and being stood up to.

Iruka threw it back at him, almost smiling at how easily he caught it. "Rewrite it in handwriting better than the children, please."

They bantered back and forth for a few more minutes before the easy smile on Iruka's face became too much for him to handle. He never smiled like this at work! "I have to go, Jounin. Hand that in to the person at the table tomorrow and make sure it's neater!"

"Whatever you say, Iruka-Sensei." He smirked as he disappeared in a small puff of smoke. Iruka blushed brightly, his heart beating like crazy as he stared at the spot that Kakashi had been in. Fuck. I… Fuck.

Events similar to this happened for a few more months before Iruka realized why his heart went so crazy around the amazing Jounin. He was in love… He was in love with a man. And not with just any man. He was in love with one of the most important and secretive Ninja in the village. He was in trouble…