April 19, 2010
There was a knock at the door; one that Iruka didn't notice until he stopped by the door to drop his backpack by the door.
X-X-X
It was early Saturday morning, barely nine o'clock, and both residents of apartment 3B were up with mugs of dark, steaming liquids waiting for them on a counter in the kitchen. Kakashi had inadvertently snapped awake at almost exactly six thirty, the same time as Iruka, and had lain in his bed listening to the sounds in their home as Iruka moved about, grabbing things from cubbies and places in his room.
He could almost picture Iruka frowning and trying to decide between one of his shorter or longer HDMI cables, Saturday mornings becoming a routine in his mind ever since February had rolled around. All of a sudden, their dark and depressing apartment had turned into a safe haven where Kakashi felt at home again.
And it was relieving. He felt as if he could breathe again and he didn't have to tiptoe around so as to not alarm anyone of his presence anymore. He felt happy again and it was unsettling.
X-X-X
Iruka was preparing to leave for his parents home like he did every Saturday now. He would take the almost two-hour ride home to see his brother's smiling face and his mother's grinning eyes. It was therapeutic to see them and to be able to get in touch with them again. He felt at ease with them and knew that he could go back home every Sunday and keep the new smile on his face.
They didn't know the details of what had happened so they couldn't judge and Iruka was thankful that he could put the past behind him around them.
With his brother's cheeky grin in mind, he dropped his bag near the door, shocked when the door suddenly rattled on its hinges. There had been a knock but Iruka didn't have enough time to react before the lock was turned and a familiar woman strode into the room.
Her sickly sweet lips turned upward in a grimace that resembled a smile when she noticed him and threw her arms open to call, "Oh! Iruka! It's been ages, sweetie!"
"A-Anko?" What was she doing there?
She pulled him in for an awkward hug and said, "Oh, sweet pea, it's been way too long. Why didn't anyone tell me you were in the hospital?"
About to say something, Anko cut the brunet off by quickly saying with a wave of her hands, "I would have brought a card or something if Kakashi hadn't put us on hold."
Mind in a whirl at her sudden appearance, Iruka tried to wrap his head around her words, "What?"
"Anyway," she brushed off his question and turned to the kitchen when banging of pots sounded out, alerting her to Kakashi's awakening. She was already halfway out the room when she said, "I'm just glad everything's back to normal."
Left standing in the doorway, a confused Iruka asked quietly again, "What?"
X-X-X
"I don't know… We just, sort of, fell back together last week." Kakashi had murmured nonchalantly into his cup as Iruka made a confused huff. The woman was in the bathroom doing something to her makeup while Iruka scrambled around the kitchen, Kakashi watching in boredom.
A sigh was all Iruka could manage before one last glance of the clock, heading to the door when he decided he was late enough. He threw over his shoulder at Kakashi. "Well, just make sure she doesn't take any of my stuff or go in my room."
Having earned himself a glare from the kitchen, Iruka only barely hearing the sigh Kakashi directed at him. "Yeah, yeah, just don't crash the truck."
X_X_X
Iruka was rolling down the highway when he realized that he didn't remember Kakashi and Anko breaking up. Gripping the wheel tighter, he tried to search his memories the best he could before giving up. Maybe they'd done it the day of the accident.
He gave up once he reached the small bungalow on the outskirts of the city with the cherry-red minivan sitting out front, pulling in behind his dad's grey car. Pocketing his keys and slinging his backpack over his shoulder, Iruka stepped up and knocked on the front door right before it swung open gleefully to reveal shinning eyes and a bright smile from the one and only little brother.
"C.O.D.?" The fourteen year-old asked hopefully as soon as Iruka stepped inside, an Xbox controller in his hand, and the brunet couldn't help but laugh at that hopeful face.
"Oh, Iruka," Kushina cooed once she got to the door, pulling the young man in for a hug as warmly smiling Minato stepped into the entry and she asked, "how was your week?"
Iruka was grinning from ear to ear as he said to them, "It was great."
"Good," Minato nodded with a smirk into his mug as he said, "because we're going skiing tomorrow. You and Naruto better play all you can because tomorrow's going to be exciting."
"Oh," Hesitantly, Iruka agreed, his parents faces lighting up as a deep, anticipating pain radiated in one of his knees. He pushed the nostalgic pain aside and grinned back at the three of them, saying brightly, "Of course."
X-X-X
She was in the bathroom and he was thankful for that. He didn't want to see her face at the moment.
Anko had said she loved him. He hadn't said it back.
Instead of returning the woman's feeling, Kakashi had said 'I know' and had left his room for the kitchen. He knew that she was lying, pretending to feel strongly towards him to draw him in even though they both knew that it wasn't true.
Anko was not the type of girl Kakashi could see himself living the rest of his life with. Sure, she was good-looking and the sex was good but her personality was somewhat lacking. He may be shallow but she was just as equally guilty. It was probably why they kept breaking up on an almost daily basis. It wasn't like he wanted to get back with her because he felt bad but something inside of him felt insecure when he was lonely; a hole that only Anko could fill if there wasn't anyone else.
Feeling like a really big jerk and more empty then he thought he would feel, he trudged back to his room and grabbed his keys, ushering the woman out as soon as she left the bathroom.
Ignoring her pleading face, he locked the apartment and drove her home like the gentleman he was before going back to the apartment to indulge in the silence.
NOTE: the next 'present' chapter will be at least a year or so later. Do not kill me for this, okay; that's just the way it happens and that's the way I'm going to keep it. Iruka and Kakashi need time to heal and grow and that takes a long time; time that doesn't need to be covered in these chapters to move the plot.
