Chapter 10 - The Masquerade Ball
Iruka adjusted his attire. Finally, it was the night of the Masquerade Ball. When he was satisfied that everything was in place, he grabbed his mask from the dressing table and waited for the copy nin to turn up.
When he stepped out of the bedroom, he heard a knock on the door. He headed over and pulled the door open.
"Iruka-sensei, are you ready to go?" Iruka smiled at the nin leaning lazily on the wall beside his door. Kakashi was out of his jounin uniform and was wearing a black shirt over pants. Even without his hitai-ate, his silver crown fell neatly in place, part of it covering his left eye. Iruka bit his bottom lip as he took in the sight and stepped out of the door.
"Yes. Let's go."
Kakashi almost gaped when the teacher was in full view. Iruka was dressed in a simple tux and his hair was untied. The jounin felt his breath hitch a little. He winked at the teacher. "You are looking pretty good in that outfit. I wouldn't be surprised if you are being serenaded tonight."
Iruka chuckled and blushed as he walked down the stairs with Kakashi following closely.
The sun was setting and the breeze that blew across ruffled Iruka's untied hair. The streets weren't as crowded like usual, most probably from the fact that most of the shinobis are preparing for the ball.
"Kakashi-sensei, I heard from Asuma-san that you will be staying at the party. Are you sure you don't want to get a mask?" Iruka cocked his head and looked at the taller man.
"Well, I don't have to worry about that. I have one already." Kakashi smiled and pointed to his own mask that covered his face. Iruka sighed exasperatedly.
"That mask is not meant for masquerade balls, Kakashi-sensei."
"It doesn't matter. I won't be there for long anyway. I promised Asuma that I will only stay for half an hour." Kakashi shrugged. Iruka felt his heart sank a little. He was hoping that the jounin would stay till the end of the party.
The two continued their walk in silence until they reached the town hall where the Masquerade Ball was to be held. They showed their ID tags to the person at the registration table and when the man nodded his approval, the two ninjas headed towards the door, walking side by side.
Almost everyone turned to look at them when they entered the room. Some were looking at them enviously, others scowling. Kakashi returned the courtesy and gave them a glare which sent many of them looking away almost immediately.
Iruka tugged gently at Kakashi's sleeve and signaled for him to follow. The older man trailed after the younger man, puzzled as to what he was up to.
Iruka turned into a dark corner and smiled at Kakashi.
"Thank you for all your help, Kakashi-sensei. I got to the ball in one piece."
Kakashi smiled. "Well, I guess the mission's over then."
"Erm… Well, I don't really mean that…. I mean… Oh well… You know…. I was hoping that…." Kakashi watched in amusement as the school teacher fumbled and stumbled over his words. Finally, Iruka let out an exasperated sigh.
"Never mind. What I meant to say was that, do you think we can continue to be friends after this?" Iruka glanced up at the man, a little too hopefully.
Kakashi froze. He hadn't expected that question. In all his years, he had never actually let people cross the line of acquaintances, with the only exception of Asuma and a few others from ANBU. But he had to admit that he enjoyed being around the teacher and it was a totally different feeling from what he gets from the few friends he had. He made a quick decision. 'Wouldn't hurt to try.'
Iruka eyed the tensed jounin cautiously and wondered if he had asked something that he shouldn't. But he could not help it. Something within him made him want to stay with the jounin. He did not want their contacts to end with the mission. As he was getting tensed himself, he saw the jounin finally relaxing a little.
"Sure, Iruka-sensei. It would be nice to have a friend like you."
Iruka smiled, feeling his heartbeat slow down to a normal pace. Without thinking, he reached forward and gave the jounin a hug.
Kakashi froze a second time. He felt butterflies in his stomach and the constriction in his throat as he took in the scent of the person before him. He understood that the gesture was just a hug between friends. But somehow, he just couldn't get his mind to work when the chunin is in such close proximity with him. Finally, Iruka drew back and blushed, rubbing the scar on his nose nervously when he realized what he had done.
"Thank you again, Kakashi-sensei. I hope you enjoy your night." With that, Iruka took his mask and tied it around his face, before walking out to look for his friends. Kakashi stood rooted for a few minutes before collecting back his senses and trotted off to look for Asuma.