Author: Lily Kalanoa

Story: Inevitable Conclusion

Genre: Naruto - drama

Rating: K/ pg 13

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my laptop, which put me into significant debt. All characters and series belong to their respective creators, I just like to torture them, heh heh.

Warnings: Nothing much, really.

Pairings: slowly growing Kakashi / Iruka

Summary: Modern storyline now, Iruka is twenty-five. Kakashi looks at him and remembers everything they've been through in the past. Is there any way he can change what they have?

Spoilers: Uh, spoilers for the first episode, that's it I think

Author Notes: Yay reviews! Aww, ReixGaara's so nice to me XD I got other reviews on LJ, so it's pretty cool. Nice to know my Iruka gets you! Jazzy2may, dontmakemeblush, gold silk thank you all for kind words! It's really awesome that you'd let me know you like it after I whined some. Hi prof Katz, I like your chibi! And you'd have to fight me for those plushies if they were out there. And of course, my lovely Anise. Kakashi and Iruka are more like we see them in the series now, so yeah, we'll see how that works.

There's a note here about the story itself. This was the 12 days of christmas challenge, and clever readers will see that this ends with chapter 12. There is another group of chapters after this one, so keep your eye out, it'll go up Monday.

-o-o-o-o-o-

Story 4 – Inevitable Conclusion

Part 1 – Mittens

-o-o-o-o-o-

Iruka walked home, frantically rubbing his hands to try and keep them warm. It was late and he was tired, but none of it compared to the bite of the wind as it raced through the streets. The teacher had been delayed in class by Konohamaru and so had taken a later shift at the missions desk. Now it was nearing midnight and the only ninja outside were those that had no sense and those on patrol.

Every breath Iruka took sent a burst of warm steam into the air, probably the only thing he liked about the current weather. He breathed through his mouth just to enjoy the beauty of the little cloud. As long as there was no snow to entertain him, this would have to do. Though it was only a matter of time before it did snow; the past couple years had been barren of the white goodness, but it was more than cold enough this year. The only reason there hadn't been snow yet was because of the unusually dry winter so far. A week into December and there hadn't been even a hint of clouds since the early autumn rains. During the day, the sun brought the temperatures up to livable levels, but at night, with no clouds to trap that warmth, it plummeted at least twenty degrees.

Iruka tipped his head back, looking up at the clear, cold sky and breathing out another gust of steam, as if making the clouds from his out breath. A second little cloud came from high above him and the teacher paused, turning to look at the source more clearly. He quieted his breath on instinct, breathing through his nose to lessen the cloud of moisture and waited to see it again. There was someone on the roof of the building beside him. It made Iruka frown.

He laid out a map of Konoha in his head. Standing guards were positioned along the wall, of course, and several spots throughout the city, but a guard wouldn't be perched on top of a low rent apartment building like this. Iruka looked down the street again; he wasn't far from home, if he hurried he'd be there in ten minutes and could crank his heater up. He looked back up and saw another puff of breath. It could have been a patrol, the slightly more frozen part of his mind argued, that would make sense. Except that they weren't moving and the nearest posted guard was three blocks north.

Damnit. It was freezing.

The teacher turned around, going back the way he came and getting around to the other side of the building. He quickly climbed to the next door roof, trying to get a look at the mystery person so he could confirm it was just a normal guard and go home. He made the jump to the same roof and crept around until he could see the person, only able to hope he was coming up on their back. The teacher paused, catching sight of flyaway silver hair and a familiar slanted stance. It was Kakashi, then. Well, he was certainly the most likely to stray from his post a bit; it was still odd, but Iruka could at least accept it from the man.

"Something I can do for you?"

Iruka jumped a little at the question and silently cursed himself for it. Of course Kakashi had known he was there, the cold must be numbing his logic. But if the other had acknowledged his presence, he could at least make sure nothing was wrong without seeming like too much of a fool. He walked forward as if approaching a long time friend, rubbing numb hands together once more. "Are you lost again Kakashi-sensei? I was wondering why you were up here."

The man just shrugged a little. "I am lost, but it's by choice." He gestured at the large unit he was standing beside. "I can still see everything from here, but it's the tiniest bit warmer."

The machine beside them was a central air unit, working at full power to warm the small apartments below. Iruka could feel the miniscule heat coming off of it and raked his eyes over Kakashi's form, noticing the rather obvious lack of anything resembling winter gear. Iruka himself was wearing thick mittens, two scarves and a pair of earmuffs (specially designed for ninja to provide warmth without muffling sound). A little startled, he stared openly at Kakashi. "What are you wearing?"

The masked man just shrugged. "It's the standard uniform."

"That's not what I meant!" Iruka seethed, frowning at the other. "You have to be freezing! Can you even move?"

"Fortunately, I haven't had to." The masked man shrugged again. "I got back from a mission in Snow just a couple days ago. All my cold weather gear is still dirty and it seemed warm enough to leave it when my shift started."

For a long minute, Iruka just blinked at him. "Your shift started while the sun was still up, didn't it?"

"It had just set, actually, but yes, it was warmer. Too late to do anything now but get through until I'm relieved." His eyes twitched over to focus on Iruka. "And explain myself to conscientious school teachers."

The brunette huffed a little at him, but stepped forward again, closer to Kakashi. He quickly unwound one of his scarves and looped it behind the other man's neck. "Give me your hands," he muttered, pulling off his mittens.

Kakashi made no move to comply, staring at the teacher. "There's no need to punish yourself for my mistake."

Iruka frowned at him, not giving an answer right away. He reached for Kakashi's arm, pulling the unresisting hand towards him and began forcing a mitten onto it over the fingerless gloves. "You can still use your weapons in these, right? You probably won't have to, but just in case."

As his other hand was stuffed into the woolen warmth, Kakashi caught hold of Iruka's own hands. "I'm serious, there's no reason for you to freeze. I did just get back from Snow and this may be bitter, but it's not quite as bad."

Iruka didn't move right away, staring at Kakashi's mostly covered face. Both of their cheeks were rosy from the cold, but Iruka's more so and he was breathing faster as he exposed himself more to the weather. With a little sniff, he pulled his hands up and out of Kakashi's hold, winding the ends of the scarf around the man's neck again. "Don't be silly. I'm on my way home finally, I can withstand for a few minutes and then crawl under a few dozen blankets. You're out here for hours still and it's only going to get colder." He reached up, pulling off his earmuffs and putting the onto Kakashi's head. Then without any further warning, he turned to the edge of the roof. "Try and stay warm, and don't get in trouble for being up here. Goodnight, Kakashi-sensei."

As the brunette leapt off, hurrying through the cold, Kakashi stepped to the edge of the roof to watch him go. He silently adjusted the bits of wool, reveling in the warmth they provided. It was practically the first time he'd spoken to Iruka in four years. After Iruka had fallen asleep in his arms, drunk, Kakashi had expected some change in their relationship, but it had never come. The teacher had remained distant, treating Kakashi with a colder demeanor while he got much closer with his other friends, as if afraid to interact with him. Kakashi certainly couldn't blame the man for his attitude, but after that party, he had hoped for something more. And he regretted nothing more than that distance when he'd heard of Mizuki's betrayal. If he'd just been able to befriend Iruka a year or two before, he might have been able to do something either to prevent it or to help the man deal with the aftermath.

Not for the first time, Kakashi thought back to his interactions with Iruka in their past. He had so much he had to undo if he was to gain entrance to the teacher's life and he truly did want to, now that he better understood what he was missing out on. With a miniscule sigh, he reached up to pull down his mask and burry the newly exposed skin in the soft scarf he'd been given. He would think of something, he had to. He'd been pondering the problem off and on for years, but this was the first sign since that party so long ago that Iruka didn't actually hate him. It gave the copy nin hope and with new resolve, he put his mind to newly formed Operation Win Iruka Over.