Beasts

by Black Kitten's Dream

Part 9

.-. .-. .-. .-. .-. .-.

The sky was clear, cloudlessly presenting a perfect azure only summer could produce. Lush blades of grass swayed gently in the wind. There was hardly any noise except for the rustling when another warm breeze blew through them, and all kinds of pretty flowers swayed with them in a blaze of colours. On the first glance, this place was invitingly beautiful, tempting for a picnic with beloved ones. It was just an illusion.

There were several spots barren of vegetation. Badly burned and beaten, the formerly soft soil of the meadow had formed an unforgiving hardness. A couple of dead trees stood at the edge of the clearing, cut down by destructive powers and left as silent reminders of the true meaning of this place. ANBU's blood had wetted this ground. Torn sinews, dislocated joints or broken bones were only a few of many other injuries inflicted on an almost daily basis, and none of them raised any pity in the persons causing them. Such injuries were failures, high risks to missions and comrades' life. ANBU was a harsh world in every aspect where pity had no place and outsiders no voice. That Kakashi had chosen one of their shielded training grounds for the spar allowed only one conclusion. Whatever happened here shouldn't get out; ANBU would see to it.

A bird cried shrilly. Iruka flinched and gripped the senbon tighter. His hands were damp with cold sweat as he continued to edgily scan the clearing. He tried to calm his frayed nerves, knowing that he couldn't afford to lose his head now. 'Seek' had been Kakashi's command, but there was no trace of the Copy-nin anymore. Perfectly concealed, Kakashi's chakra had vanished with the man himself into thin air. What was left was the sensation of Genma's and Ibiki's attentive eyes on him.

Nervous about their intense gazes, Iruka threw a glance to the edge of the clearing on his right side. Ibiki stood tall with slightly parted legs and hands behind his back. The torture specialist's face was hard, his look cool. The man was watching him like an examiner during a crucial exam, clinically judging any signs of weakness and small mistakes. Ibiki's posture confirmed Iruka's fears, and his stomach clenched in foreboding. This wasn't an ordinary training, and certainly not a simple lesson taught. If he took this spar lightly the day won't end prettily for him.

Iruka swallowed thickly and looked at the other side of the clearing to Genma. The Special Jounin was still squatted down, lazily chewing on the senbon he held with his right hand, arms propped up on his knees. Genma seemed bored to death, as if he was just waiting for him to finally screw up so that he could go home again. Regardless of this demonstrated indifference the man's appearance was misleading. Just like Ibiki, Genma was observing every move of him closely with uttermost lack of sympathy.

Dejected, Iruka turned his head away. He didn't search for the ANBU who had accompanied them through the woods. Those men who decided to stay as silent observers didn't pose a direct threat, nor would he get any help from them either. None of them would lift a finger for him. In this clearing he was on his own.

A small correction of his stance for better balance, and Iruka closed his eyes. He felt the breeze caressing his hair and face and the warmth of the sun on his skin until those outward impressions slowly disappeared together with the faint sounds of rustling and chirping.

Seek.

Kakashi's command echoed through his mind. What put his nerves on the edge before had a supporting effect on him now. Guided by this single word, Iruka remembered the rise of chakra between Kakashi and Genma during their little power play yesterday. It had only been a glimpse, hardly more than the surface of the men's real power. Iruka focused on Kakashi nonetheless to get a feeling of the man's chakra once again, of its shape and temperature, its distinctive pattern. With his senses wide open, he immersed himself completely in this unique, almost buzzing sensation of overwhelmingly strong and perfectly controlled power.

He sensed something. The trace was faint, but it felt just right. Iruka's heart beat increased as he tried to pinpoint its position, and then everything happened in the split of a second. Chakra burst out from under him. Soil and small stones flew up when hands emerged from the ground, and fingers touched his legs the moment he was about to leap back in a startled reaction. They grazed his ankles before he managed it just in time. Sheer reflex prevented him from getting caught as he finally put some distance between the attacker and him, and the senbon left his fingers to hit the person breaking through the ground.

Kakashi snatched the weapon skilfully out of the air without pausing in his attack and threw it back with one quick smooth motion. Iruka almost couldn't dodge the returning senbon. The Copy-nin shot forward straight toward him, too fast to keep track of the man's approach, and then Kakashi was right in front of his face.

"Hide."

Iruka's eyes widened at the sharply hissed word. A short flashing on his left side gave him no opportunity to digest the new command. Metal reflected the sunlight. Instinctively, he dropped down into a crouching stance and yanked out his own kunai to aim it at the man's legs. They attacked almost simultaneously, but just as the sharp blade of Kakashi's kunai narrowly missed his head, merely cutting some loose strands of hair, Iruka only met thin air as well.

Alarmed, Iruka jumped back to get out of the proximate danger zone. He stopped after several meters, confused because Kakashi didn't chase him right away. The Copy-nin didn't move, was simply watching his retreat through hooded eyes, and an uneasy feeling spread over Iruka. Keeping an eye on the Jounin he leaped backwards again, continuously letting the distance grow. His mind was racing. As far as he knew, illogical behaviour wasn't in Kakashi's nature. Hence, the Copy-nin was planning something, despite the fact that the man hadn't moved an inch till now except for raising an eyebrow at his attempt to bring more distance between them. Hints were what he needed right now in order to develop a strategy against whatever Kakashi was planning, and with his mind full of possible attack and counter scenarios Iruka collided with a firm body.

The impact was painful and rattled his bones. Gasping, Iruka whirled around and caught sight of a dark, cloth-covered chest. His head shot up and his eyes met Ibiki's.

"Stay inside the training ground, Umino."

Blood surged to his face, not only because of the patronizing drawl. In front of him stood the reason why Kakashi had refrained from chasing him. All Kakashi had to do was settle back in Schadenfreude and watch him heading straight toward self-made humiliation; probably just like all the other viewers. Mortification coloured Iruka's cheeks crimson. The notion of being a laughing-stock for them clouded his mind, and anger let him grit his teeth at such spitefulness. Glaring defiance met aloofness until Ibiki narrowed his eyes in displeasure.

"Pay attention, you fool."

Ibiki's snapped warning pulled him out of his anger at once. Wide-eyed, Iruka spun around frantically. Kakashi was close already, leaving him no other choice than to hastily teleport away. Iruka appeared again in the middle of the clearing, acting on instinct when he turned around on the spot to ward off a strike aimed at his back. The metallic sound of kunais repeatedly clashing against each other promptly rang through the clearing. Kakashi's attack got stronger, continually forcing him to lose ground. Iruka was struggling to keep up with the man's fast movements. Reduced to defence only, he desperately looked for a chance to break the ongoing attack. He got one only seconds later when Kakashi raised his arm for a strike from above.

Iruka reacted instantly. He blocked the attack with his forearm, pushing the man's arm up and out of the way while his other arm shot forward. Boosted with chakra, his flat hand hit Kakashi's chest hard. Amazed that he had actually managed a hit, he watched rooted to the spot as the Copy-nin got thrown back by the impact. It came as no surprise that the Jounin regained his footing without any difficulty, and Iruka responded by expanding the distance between them with several leaps back.

Breathing hard, he dropped back into a defensive stance. He ignored the Jounin's provocatively bored gaze, fully aware that the now slouching man was mocking his counterattack. Waiting and watching, Iruka's lips began to move and the soundlessly spoken words eventually became a soft whisper.

"Zero."

The explosion rocked the ground beneath his feet. Fire shot from Kakashi's chest and dense smoke engulfed the body, completing the effect of the exploding pouch he had attached to the man's flak jacket.

Iruka waited with rising anticipation for the smoke to clear away. A breeze came to his aid, speeding up the process until he had the much needed clear sight on the hit man. Flabbergasted, Iruka stared at the destroyed log lying on the ground. For a couple of seconds he had been so certain of success, but the sight of the wooden replacement dashed all hopes.

A wind arose, whirling small leaves up to spin them around his body. The breeze died away as fast as it had come, and the leaves fell to the ground again. A disdainful snort let Iruka look up from the scattered leaves surrounding him. Kakashi was standing a couple of meters away, twirling the kunai with his forefinger with utter boredom. Face drawn into a sneer, the Copy-nin seemingly couldn't believe how ridiculously incapable his opponent was.

"That's all you got, Umino?"

Cold anger crept through him at the man's derisive drawl. Kakashi was talking down to him even though he was trying his best. The Copy-nin knew he had no real chance and added insult to injury just to make fun of him. Kakashi's attitude wasn't really surprising to him, though. This was a farce, a set-up, the supposed spar just a game for them. He was an unpleasant duty ordered by the Hokage, a hilarious story to amuse friends with afterwards. Furious about the situation, Iruka glared at Kakashi until something else attracted his attention. A short flare of recognition lit his eyes, and thrill about the discovery narrowed them again into slits.

Pushing all angry thoughts out of his mind, Iruka directed his whole focus on the other man again. He bent his knees a little to shift his weight on the balls of his feet. One hand was holding the kunai in front of him in plain sight, ready for battle. The other one was hidden behind his back, close to the shuriken in his belt. He didn't let himself get distracted by Kakashi's obvious disgust about the simplicity of his strategy, knowing that the arrogant man had already made a grave mistake. Their eyes locked, and Iruka moved.

Small stones crunched under him as he started running. As assumed, Kakashi dodged the kunai aimed at his rip cage easily by casually stepping aside, and was already prepared to ward off the next attack when the younger man's left hand came around from behind his back again with a throwing motion. Nothing came, and Kakashi stopped short when the weapon failed to appear. These precious seconds of surprise and indecision caused by the feigned attack were what Iruka had been waiting for.

Ducking down, he switched the kunai to his left hand, and with his now free hand grasped the forgotten senbon lying on the grass to ram the needle into the man's thigh. Iruka didn't hesitate for a second when the senbon pierced skin and flesh. He delivered a side kick to the man's injured leg to sweep him off his feet. Kakashi fell hard, but before Iruka could make his next strike the man's foot connected with his wrist. Iruka gasped when sharp pain shot up his arm. The kunai slipped from numb fingers, and the moment he hurriedly reached for it with his other hand Kakashi rolled away and got up.

Kunai back in his right hand, Iruka went after him. Kakashi reacted to his approach immediately. Facing him, he mirrored every step and leap by making them into the opposite direction, effortlessly keeping up the distance between them. A bark of laughter revealed how hilarious this was for the Copy-nin, and to worsen the humiliation Kakashi taunted his efforts with a sneer on his face.

"That's the whole skills you got? Ridiculous. You're chasing me like a dog after its tail and you're allowed to teach our kids? What a complete joke."

Iruka was already fuming. The next words hit him like a slap in the face.

"You're a fucking disgrace for Konoha."

Thunderstruck, Iruka jerked to a halt. He gaped at Kakashi in astonishment. Words failed him at his discovery, and after a stunned moment Iruka closed his eyes. He folded his hands - forefingers and middle fingers put together, the others intertwined - and breathed the saving word.

"Kai."

It was over, the genjutsu dispelled. A shudder ran through his body. He had seen through Kakashi's illusion, had beaten a man who was considered as invincible. Fed by the giddy feeling of victory about this stunning success the adrenaline rush didn't lessen. Strong excitement he hadn't experienced for ages seized him. He felt hot and strangely light as if he was floating. He felt alive again.

Iruka was high on triumph. His eyes fluttered open again right when a hand seized his throat in a vice-like grip to push him back, violently slamming him down to the ground. Pain exploded in his head as it hit the hard soil with a loud crack. The stranglehold cut off his air supply with painful pressure on his voice box. The abrupt lack of air and the stabbing pain in his throat rendered him disoriented, and Iruka blindly clutched the hand to tear it off his neck. A terribly long span of time elapsed in vain. Red mist distorted his vision as a sign for beginning suffocation, and a voice calmly verbalized his panic-stricken thoughts.

"You're dead."

The deadly grip loosened instantly. Gasping for breath and clinging to the hand on his neck, Iruka frantically filled his burning lungs with the much-needed air. Tears rushed into his eyes when a harsh coughing fit added more pain to his already injured throat, but as much as he tried to suppress the cough reflex the impulse was greater and with each movement of his Adam's apple agonizing pain pierced his voice box, pushing his panic to new highs.

All of a sudden, the characteristic heat of a healing jutsu streamed to his throat to repair damaged cartilage and windpipes. Iruka moaned unconsciously as the pain lessened to gradually disappear between the warm, unfamiliar waves of chakra, and only now did he realize that it wasn't Kakashi's hand anymore that was touching his neck. The mask of the ANBU penetrated his vision that was blurry from tears. Numbly gazing up at the porcelain hiding the ANBU's identity, Iruka felt dimly that he was still clutching Kakashi's wrist. Never letting go of the hand resting on his chest, the next minutes went by in a soft blur until the ANBU had skilfully treated the injuries.

Uneasiness followed the full return of his consciousness. The ANBU was still keeping him down on the ground. The weight of the hand was light enough to not cause real pain yet held him firmly in his place. Iruka swallowed tentatively, careful of the pressure the palm put on his slightly sore Adam's apple. His nervousness skyrocketed. In the past, he had never considered ANBU as a personal threat. Caution toward the elite group was a natural reaction just like demonstrating respect for their members. Now, even after being healed by this man, everything Iruka could think of was that the ANBU was a trained killing machine. A simple tightening of those fingers could permanently rob him of his voice and a twist of the hand would break his neck.

Time seemed to stand still. Iruka's anxiety worsened with the stretched silence. The ANBU was gazing down on him as though the man wanted to tell him something, or he was just regarding him disdainfully through the mask that didn't really give away anything. It was one of those dreadful situations where Iruka had no idea how to react. They stared at each other; one intimidated and with bated breath and the other one in nerve-racking motionlessness. At last, the elite ninja stood up without having said a word to vanish in a cloud of smoke.

The painful tension promptly left his body together with the bated breath and relief mingled with utter confusion. Iruka had no opportunity to puzzle over the ANBU's strange behaviour, though. Something dark tore his mind from the last wads of smoke. Ibiki stood beside him, dark grey coat fluttering in the light wind. The torture specialist regarded him with unchanged cool expression and disquieting finality in his voice.

"I've seen enough."

Ibiki turned and walked away, the dismissive meaning of his words stayed behind like an ultimate verdict. The disdain was a punch in the gut. Pale, Iruka watched the man's departure. He was still badly shaken by the violence of the last attack when hard fingers gripped his jaw, forcing him to face the man squatted down beside him. Kakashi didn't utter a word, but he didn't really need to. Iruka knew what the man was telling him with this cold glare.

Shame flared up so hot and fast that it burned him from the inside out. With this spar, their already low opinion of him had been confirmed. He had dug his own grave by making the same mistakes he had wrongfully accused Kakashi of only minutes ago. Arrogance and underestimation of an opponent, two grave mistakes any shinobi knew to avoid, life-saving knowledge Iruka himself taught his pupils. He had carelessly misjudged Kakashi countless times during the spar, and in addition had put his own qualification as a teacher into question with this highly questionable and disastrous performance.

Slowly, it dawned on him that this spar had been a lesson to show him quite plainly that he was the last person who had the right to criticize Jounins' decisions. Like with a brat who didn't want to admit that he was at fault, they had let him learn the hard way that his ability to judge was not half as good as he believed, and thereby how big-headed and offensive his interfering at the nomination for the Chuunin exam actually had been. He understood their anger now all-too clearly and the memories of this cursed day let his cheeks burn in embarrassment.

Iruka took a deep breath. He didn't really want to hear Kakashi's damning report, too. Ibiki's scornful remark had been already bad enough, but the bitter truth was that acknowledging his failures by listening to them was the only way to save the last bit of his credibility. Resignation overrode the defiance. Defeated, Iruka pressed his lips tightly together. Kakashi didn't give him a chance to fully brace himself for the tongue-lashing; his hard gaze was a plain warning for him to listen attentively.

"Too-long reaction time and limited sense of balance mainly on the left side."

Iruka blinked up uncertainly, brows furrowed in puzzlement. "That's all?"

He could have bit his tongue. The question had left his mouth nearly the instant it had popped up as a perplexed thought. Impertinence was written all over his thoughtless reply, and Iruka lay stock-still, appalled by himself and honestly afraid of Kakashi's reaction.

The hand on his chest moved, forcing him to let go of it. Fingers slipped over his throat back to the nape until the whole hand was touching the side of his neck, thumb on his jaw. Although Kakashi's look was still piercing, the man was nevertheless rather tauntingly amused as he more than readily answered his careless question.

"You're way too hesitant and get easily distracted; to provoke you is a piece of cake. Despite the fact that I outclass you in strength and skills you constantly pulled your punches and avoided vital parts just because I'm a fellow shinobi, and you naively decided for yourself that the fight's over like a green Genin. You trust blindly at the wrong time and mistrust comrades you ought to. Serious lack of self-esteem and alarmingly little faith in your own skills yet paradoxically over-confident and inappropriately guided by emotions at the same time. You've got severe weaknesses that won't keep you alive for much longer if you don't get rid of them quickly. I could have killed you twice. An average enemy would have a walk-over."

"That bad, huh?" Iruka's voice was barely more than a whisper. He felt the painful truth behind Kakashi's smirk, and a silent plea was in his eyes, nearly begging like a child for any crumbs of approval no matter how small or insignificant. "There's really nothing good about me?"

Kakashi studied him silently, and Iruka wanted to take his question back again. His face burned in mortification as he recognized the silence for what it was; the actual answer to his question. Iruka averted his eyes and bit down on the inside of his cheeks. The sharp pain helped him from losing the little control he still had over his emotions. As shattering as this silence was, at least he wanted to spare himself more shame by preventing himself from acting according to Kakashi's devastating opinion.

"Do I really have to add liability to self-inflicted punishment to the list?"

Startled, Iruka looked back to the man above. Kakashi kept on talking, ignoring his befuddlement.

"Basically you've got good reflexes and your strategic thinking improves under pressure. Logical thinking would be good if it didn't go astray every so often due to your tendency toward paranoia. Ibiki should look into it. You could pick up on errors more quickly and there're some other more or less crucial things I'd like to correct. Anyway, on the whole your fighting skills were better than expected. You did well."

"I did?" Iruka asked surprised, marked by wary disbelief about the unforeseen praise. The following good-natured nod lifted his spirits a little and a weak smile pulled on his lips. "You mean for an idiot, yes. I suppose it took me a while to notice the genjutsu."

"Well, I would seriously question my skills if you had noticed it earlier," Kakashi remarked dryly. "What gave me away?"

The thumb began to move over his jaw in a stroking motion. It was a pleasant touch, so different from the violence before that Iruka answered without hesitation.

"You can be hurtfully straightforward, Kakashi-sensei, but you never abused me with words once. Using swearwords while calling me a disgrace let me realize that this wasn't you."

"Ah." Kakashi looked genuinely pleased with his answer. Encouraged by the man's friendly response, Iruka took this opportunity to address all those nagging questions.

"I need answers, Kakashi-sensei. You wanted me to realize my errors and, by all gods, I've learnt my lesson and I sincerely apologize for my accusations. The problem is that as long as I don't know what's going on I will make them again. You cannot expect of me to find everything out on my own. Help me to understand so that I can choose for myself again which step I take or... with whom I sleep and why."

Driven by the fear of getting interrupted, the questions had come out in one big rush. Iruka refused to feel embarrassed by the flood of words. The urge to get the desired answers was greater than protecting some feeble sense of dignity. A silver brow rose questioningly.

"Did we force you into having sex with us?"

"No," Iruka admitted quietly. "But I felt used afterwards."

"Then you regret having sex with us."

Confused, Iruka knitted his brows. "No. Afterwards I did though, because you left me in the dark about your intentions."

"So we're at fault that you got paranoid."

"Yes."

"Wrong. You didn't take your time and simply jumped to conclusions rather than rationally thinking it through first. Making up your mind without knowing the details is hardly our fault, is it? I bet you had the goriest thoughts about this spar, hadn't you? Tell me, Iruka-sensei, did it turn out the way you imagined it?"

A blush coloured Iruka's cheeks at the man's mildly stated conclusion. Though his tender throat was proof for the suffered violence, the injury itself indeed didn't come close to his previous fears by far. The fact that Kakashi was smugly aware of this bruised his ego. "ANBUs' grounds are off-limits," he defended himself. "I couldn't help but get suspicious."

"We chose this training ground to avoid unwanted onlookers, or did you want a gossiping audience?"

Nothing was as dispensable as rhetorical questions, or unnecessarily mean especially if they carried a hint of sarcasm as in this case. With his answers already anticipated, Iruka felt cornered again. Agitation seized him and irritation bubbled up.

"Instead of posing questions you already know the answers to you should give me proper answers to my actual questions first."

"Such as?"

"Pack, for an instance," Iruka shot back. "What is this nonsense about packs? I want to know what you were talking about, and in case this isn't just a big fat joke or a flat lie then you can tell me what this would mean for me and where my place would be in it and why you want me of all people. What am I to you anyway?"

"Well, isn't this just posing questions you'd actually know the answers to already if you had just taken a little of your time to reflect on it?"

"Don't avoid the topic or play those stupid mind games with me. Just answer my goddamn questions."

Kakashi's evident enjoyment of their little verbal exchange had triggered the eruption, and as so many times before Iruka regretted his short temper immediately. Aggression, no matter what kind, was never helpful. The one who yells loses the argument, and the same goes for snarling and hissing. His apology for this attitude was already on his lips when Kakashi started speaking.

"Packs are bonds. We stick together and look out for each other. A pup like you would be the lowest of the rank simply by nature's law. On the other hand, you would receive special support from the elders in return. Part of your current problems is that you don't have anyone to rely on who prevents you from making mistakes such as interfering at a nomination or making insincere excuses to your superiors. You've been alone too long without real guidance and you can't expect Saturobi to be your surrogate father forever, can you? What we offer is a family. It's up to you to decide whether you want to be part of it."

More mocking or some kind of treatment reserved only for dense idiots were what he had feared. Kakashi's matter-of-fact explanation took him completely off guard. He couldn't detect any lies, and that made the impact of the words even greater. Dazed, Iruka licked his lips. "Genma--" He paused and glanced to the side where Genma was, or rather where the Special Jounin had been at the beginning of the spar. The spot was empty now; the man had probably left already. Pensively, Iruka stared at the vacant spot. "Genma told me that I should feel proud for being chosen."

"We select carefully. Our pack's small but exquisite."

Doubtful, Iruka looked back to Kakashi. "Why me then? I'm no one special."

"Ah, you're a fine young man with the heart of a lioness when it comes to your pupils. You fit perfectly," Kakashi amusedly replied.

"So, as lioness to the top dog, was last night the entire entrance ritual or do I have to lie with all of you to justify my membership?" Iruka joked back, guarded but encouraged by the man's display of humour.

"Not a bad idea."

Iruka wasn't so sure whether Kakashi was still teasing. His hesitation got rewarded with a drawled chide.

"Put some trust in us, would you?"

"I try," was his instant response. "I really do. What I don't understand is the sudden interest. I bet none of you have noticed me before."

"No, we didn't, at least not in the positive sense. Genma convinced us that there's more to you than just a hot-headed, recalcitrant teacher." Kakashi's voice became sober again, leaving no place for further banter. "There're many things I'd like to change in you with more training. A poet would say that your body gives away your thoughts and your heart reflects in your eyes, but I'm no writer. The move with the disregarded senbon was basically good, and then you gave it all away through your body language. You're ridiculously easy to read. Still, while your expressiveness seems to be your weakest point as a shinobi I admit that it's pretty arousing in bed. You're extraordinarily responsive to sexual stimulation."

Blood surged to Iruka's face. Such explicit talk right in the middle of ANBUs' training grounds was more than awkward, and he quickly addressed another issue. "Genma's pissed off and Morino-san has already labelled me as useless. I don't know about Morino-san, but I understand that Genma's part of this pack. I don't think that I'm very welcome right now."

"Genma's pissed because you turned a blind eye to almost every chance we provided, even used them against us. That's not an insurmountable obstacle, just something you have to fight out with him first, especially if you want to clear things up and get on his good side again. And about Ibiki, stop judging people by their appearances. This attitude of yours is unworthy of shinobis and gets annoying very fast." Kakashi took the bite out of his words by carrying on with the stroking, never stopping the fingertips' touch to the younger man's jaw.

Iruka bit his lips, partly because of his scepticism toward Genma and Ibiki's true opinions and partly because the Copy-nin's touch changed its manner. Now, the calloused fingers had just the right pressure to convey sensuality as they slid down his neck. When they slipped between shirt and skin and the thumb traced his collarbone, Iruka didn't know how to react. Kakashi's seductive touch cast a spell over him. It was exciting to get such particular attention from a man he had just realized could be downright dangerous and cold-blooded, and he would be a liar if he didn't admit that Kakashi's interest didn't made him feel special. The erotic promise of those wandering fingers reminded him again how talented Kakashi and Genma actually were, and the first thrill was replaced by light arousal. Iruka's heartbeat sped up on a palpable level. A treacherous warm pulling in his groin showed how willingly his body would submit. His mind however, although torn between temptation and reason was quite aware that this was neither the place nor the time for it.

His hasty search for distraction for both of them led him to a work-related question, and his hand caught Kakashi's wrist as he asked for the important explanation. "When did the genjutsu start?"

The reply was a somewhat preoccupied murmur. "Do you remember the whirl of leaves?"

Stunned, Iruka stared at the other man. "You mean right after the explosion? Gods, I'm stupid!"

"Stupid?" Kakashi echoed musingly and the thumb stopped right on the middle of his collarbone. "Stupid for calling me a sadistic asshole or for accusing me of turning you into a slut?"

Though Kakashi had kept his voice casually light he was dead serious and Iruka tensed at the sudden change of topic. Strong worry eclipsed his pangs of conscience. The vibes he got from the Jounin now were laced with just a touch of aggression, but for him it was like the breath of an arousing predator. Kakashi continued, unmoved by the trepidation he was causing.

"I can overlook those blunders for the time being because I know that you regret them. Anyway, right now you're questioning my intelligence by believing that I would allow brainless people to be part of the pack."

There was a hard glint in his dark eye when Kakashi bent slightly down to him. "Do you really want to insult me by calling yourself stupid, Iruka-sensei?"

The resonating subtle challenge combined with the man's low voice was mesmerizing. Captivated by the half-lidded gaze, Iruka shook his head with a timid whisper. "No."

"Good."

Iruka's pulse quickened at the contently drawled reply, and suddenly he understood. This wasn't some game of theirs. They actually wanted him. Even with his faults and weaknesses they accepted him into their pack, a family with bonds perhaps even stronger than between blood relations. All the pros and contras he could think of right now couldn't change the strong attraction of being part of this group. Despite everything that had happened he still held them in high regard, now perhaps even more than before, and he understood only too well that it was an honour to be chosen by them. And then there was his personality. Being useful and accepted were basic needs of his nature. Their hints of praise every now and then were enough to build a craving for more, and he truly wanted it again, this feeling of belonging. Although he might appear as pathetic and his decision selfishly motivated, he finally reached the awareness that he was going to take taking their offer. But one thing was strange.

Judging from Kakashi's nonchalant response the man must have known all along that he would accept. Moreover, Kakashi's behaviour indicated that his decision was merely a formality, and Iruka got the strong feeling that everything was actually already settled. Apparently, he was already part of them and this was both shocking and embarrassing. Kakashi and probably some others of this group had just calmly watched him walking through this emotional labyrinth, waiting at the exit for him to finally find his way out while he was still struggling with countless dead ends. This image was almost hilarious if he hadn't appeared so damn laughable in it.

But I have found the exit, haven't I? Iruka thought with some wonder and a questioning look at Kakashi. It was an unspoken request for affirmation that this wasn't just some wanted fantasy, that his present impression was indeed reality.

Kakashi watched him silently, likely aware that he had come to a conclusion and was now asking for confirmation. Iruka was prepared for many things, but not for Kakashi further bending down until their faces were separated through their breaths alone. Kakashi's breath ghosted over his lips, just about to develop a kiss, and Iruka saw his desired answer in it.

A feeling of happiness about the positive response let his heart leap in his chest. Iruka held still when the gloved hand slid from his collarbone up to his neck to cup the back of it, thumb tracing the outline of his throat before it went down again to stroke the juncture of the shoulder with slow seductive touches. Moving his head sideways, Kakashi's breath produced a hot trail, drawn from his mouth over his cheek back to the ear. Kakashi was close enough that Iruka could feel the warmth radiating from the side of the man's face. They remained with their cheeks almost connected for a wonderful intimate moment. The soft breath on his ear brought tingling goose bumps, and Iruka's eyes slowly drifted shut in shivering anticipation.

"It's your decision. Choose wisely."

Words, uttered in such an unexpected cool manner that they cut through his mind like a knife. Iruka hardly noticed that Kakashi stood up and left. Stunned, he stared up to the sky, trying to grasp what just happened. Closing his mouth which he had unconsciously opened in a perplexed protest, Iruka drew his legs up to hide the first sign of his beginning arousal and crossed his arms over his eyes. Disbelief knotted his guts. What had gone wrong? Was it his fault that Kakashi suddenly acted aloof again or had it been once again a misjudgement of the man's real intention?

The usual noises of the woods penetrated his with questions bombarded mind. Iruka turned his focus on them and listened to the birds and noises of rustling blades of grass and leaves until he calmed down again. He needed to think rationally. Kakashi had been watching him as he had come to his decision. Perfectly trained in reading others' facial expression and body language, the Copy-nin must have seen the consent in his eyes and mien. Kakashi definitely knew he was taking their offer, but if he just wanted him to say it out loudly then the man could have told him so. Just getting up and leaving without waiting for a reply was--

Iruka started from his musing and lifted his arms from his face, dumbly staring up at the sky. They wanted him to seek them out. For some reason, it wasn't enough to simply accept their offer. They wanted something else from him, something more than he could think of right now. Was it some kind of last lesson, a final point to clarify who was in charge? Had he made a mistake by trusting Kakashi or was he just reading too much into it again?

Helplessly confused, Iruka gazed up at the sky. The perfect azure gave him no answer though, except for the insight that the decision was still his alone.

tbc

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As always, I'm very sorry for the terribly late update and hope that this chapter made up for it at least a little bit. *puppy eyes*

Kudos to NR for her great help (proofreading)!

Well, I'm off to Crete (Greece) for about two weeks. I get back by the end of June, so I won't have time to reply to reviews during this time. Your comments are always welcome, though. I really appreciate them. There wasn't a single one so far that didn't at least make me smile :). Many thanks for your awesome support! *hugs*

Till next time, and, please let me know if you liked the new chapter!