Disclaimer
I do not own Naruto.
Summary
Life is hard for a chunin like Iruka. Grading tests, not killing students and sending ninja out on missions to their deaths. It's even harder when he has to take care of a jounin turned three year old chibi.
Sequel to Plastic Ponies.
Author's Notes
Bah, this chapter was such a pain to write. Literally, I spent over a week just trying to fix a little paragraph!
This is a super-special-chocolately-awesome-chapter!
Read my author's notes at the end of this chapter to find out why!
Also, what is this mysterious ticking?
:D
"We need to talk."
Sakura looked up from her paperwork to glance at the two people sitting on the other side of her desk. She sighed and placed her pen down, work would always come second to teammates who needed help. "What is it that is so urgent that you both had to come traipsing through this horrible weather to see me?"
Naruto swallowed and tightened his grip on Sasuke's hand for a moment before looking up. "Well…I was wondering if we could just…tell Iruka-sensei what happened?" He flinched when a tick went off over Sakura's left eyebrow.
"I mean," He continued, "If we just tell him then everything will make sense to him and he won't be so confused and angry at Kakashi-sensei." The kyuubi carrier sighed and shrunk into his chair, his hold on the other male's hand not slackening, "I have to tell you guys a secret from four years ago."
This caught the attention of the two other teens in the room. "Naruto, why are you suddenly bringing this up? Why now?" Sakura chewed on the tip of the pen she had picked up again, "It can't change the past so it can't help the future." She murmured, watching Sasuke's thumb stroke the skin on Naruto's wrist seemingly on its own.
"But this is something that can help Iruka-sensei and Kakashi-sensei!" The blond exclaimed, shifting to the edge of his seat. "Sandaime told me not to tell anyone. This was something that even the villagers weren't allowed to know. But if it will get Iruka-sensei and Kakashi-sensei together…" Naruto wiggled the pinky finger of his free hand, coughing bashfully when both Sakura and Sasuke glared at him.
"Any way, back when Iruka-sensei was on the last day of changing back I went to the old geezer to see if he knew how Iruka-sensei was going to act after he was normal again. You know, incase he hated ramen or something like that afterwards, well," Naruto glanced over his shoulder at the doorway to make sure none of Sakura's co-workers was lurking nearby, "It turned out that Iruka had 'escaped' from Kakashi-sensei's care and was running from him in the rain."
He leaned back in his chair, lacing his two hands behind his head, "So me and the old man went looking for him, to make sure that Iruka-sensei wouldn't get hurt by doing something stupid." He paused again, staring at the ceiling for a moment. "Supposedly, he would do a lot of stupid things when he was younger…" Naruto shrugged and continued with his story, "As we were looking, Kakashi-sensei showed up.
"I had to pretend to be Konohamaru." He deadpanned, his face twisting into a grimace.
Sakura sighed and took the pen out of her mouth, grimacing when she noted the small chew marks littering the top surface. "Naruto, is there a point to this? I have a lot of work that Tsunade-sama dumped on me, and I was hoping to catch up on it today since it's raining."
A pair of blond eyebrows wriggled like captured caterpillars, conveying the devious thoughts. "Well…" A toothy Cheshire cat grin blossomed on his lips. "Turns out that Iruka-sensei has a thing for older men." He chortled and watched as the confusion in his teammates eyes changed to understanding and then to morbid curiosity.
Sakura put her pen down once more. Gossip was always a good reason to put off work, and gossip that only a few people were privy to made whatever Naruto was about to say worth its weight in gold. "Naruto, what do you mean?" She leaned eagerly on the edge of her chair.
"Turns out he kissed someone." The eyebrows were now looking like Gai-sensei's with the ferocity of their movement.
Sasuke turned a pasty color and looked at the male next to him. "Jiraiya?"
Now it was Naruto's turn to blanch, coughing and hitting his chest with his fist. He looked up and small tears had formed at the corners of his eyes, "Why would it be that pervert?"
"You did say older men." Sakura said with disgust still laced underneath her comment. She had dry heaved a little when Sasuke made the inquiry, speaking what she had been thinking, but neither of the teens opposite of her had noticed when she quickly ducked behind her desk for a moment.
"No, it was Kakashi-sensei!" The blond said, a smile blossoming over his features. He rocked back in his chair, bumping into Sasuke's shoulder, which he quickly kissed in apology.
The reactions of his teammates were priceless. At the same moment Sakura screamed, "Inconceivable!" Sasuke nodded and muttered, "Of course." This, in turn, made them glare at each other from in between the table, Sakura snorting out her nose and Sasuke coolly staring back.
Naruto watched them for a moment, proud of creating this brand of discord, before he stood and stretched. "It's not like it matters how it happened, or why it happened." He yawned and scratched at his stomach, "All that matters is that it did happen and we have to tell Iruka-sensei."
"We can't tell him that!" Sakura's head whipped from its staring contest with Sasuke to focus on kyuubi vessel. "Do you have any idea what Iruka-sensei would do! He doesn't remember anything about four years ago. You can't tell him he had an affair with Kakashi-sensei!
"I don't think they even like each other!" She paused to close her eyes and take in a deep breath. "Well, at least, I don't think Iruka-sensei likes Kakashi-sensei that way. This does explain why Kakashi-sensei always acts a little different when Iruka-sensei is in the same room."
"We need to plan things out a little more before we tell Iruka-sensei." Sasuke said as he stood, one hand holding his umbrella, the other reaching for the clasps on his jacket to close it. "It's not every day a full grown man is told he is in love with another man."
Naruto frowned, "They can't be in love…"
"But they could be." Sakura said as she stepped from behind her desk, grabbing her hair and pulling it out form underneath her jacket. "I mean, if Kakashi-sensei still remembers something that happened over four years ago maybe Iruka-sensei will understand his own feelings after we tell him the truth." She frowned at the umbrella Naruto shoved into her hands, but shrugged and started to walk into the hallway.
"Let's talk this over at the Ichiraku." Naruto's stomach growled, "Maybe Ayame can help us make a plan."
He hooked his arm with Sasuke's so they would be underneath the same umbrella, leaving Sakura to follow them. The blond kept chuckling and looking back at his other teammate, thus warning his companion of the imminent disaster.
Halfway through the journey, Sakura's umbrella suddenly made a snapping noise as it flipped inside out.
"Naruto, I'm going to kill you!" She screamed, fire blazing in her eyes as she chased both teammates, Sasuke by association. "You knew this was going to happen! This was the reason why you wanted us to tell him and go out in the rain!
Sakura paused for a moment, the rain soaking deeper into her clothing. "No, you're not that smart."
"Nah, Sakura-chan, why are you so mean to me. It's not like you got hurt or anything!" Naruto said as he ducked underneath the wet flap of fabric before it hit his head. He stomped his feet a couple of times, shaking his head to rid it of excess water.
"My hair is ruined! Naruto, this is all your fault!" Sakura groaned as she tried to close the tampered-with umbrella, finally yanking it closed with a grunt of effort. The kunoichi pushed a hand through her tangled, wet hair, grimacing at the movement.
Naruto sighed and grabbed Sasuke's arm as an extra precaution, ignoring the glare that was aimed at him as the Uchiha had to attempt to take his jacket off now with only one arm. "Is not! We have to tell him, even if he doesn't want to hear! It's the only choice!" He said, finally answering Sakura's previous accusation of why he dragged them all out in the rain.
Sakura frowned, "Maybe for your little brain to think of!" She stuck her tongue out as the final word.
"I can be right sometimes, Sakura-chan!" Naruto shot back, his tongue sticking out in response to her challenge.
Sasuke sighed at the actions of his teammates, thanking the gods for the small blessing that Naruto has finally let go of his arm. Slipping of his coat he rested it on his arm, ""I don't think it matters, but we should tell him before he figures it out and kills the whole village." He revealed his hidden thoughts on the subject as he, too, pushed his hands through his rain tangled hair in an attempt to fix it.
A tremor of fear racked his body as he caught Iruka-sensei and a large dog staring at him sedately from the seats near the counter. 'Do they know what we were talking about?' He thought, eyes widening as he thought of what the teacher would do if he knew what they were talking about.
The Uchiha tugged on Naruto's arm to get his attention, not wanted to face the wrath of their past teacher by himself. Of course, Naruto acted as maturely as he was thought to be.
Screaming like a little girl at the discovery of Iruka sitting only a couple of feet away form him, right after he revealed a major secret concerning his sexuality.
Very mature.
"I shall possibly continue this conversation with you later, sensei." The three teammates watched in confusion as the dog talked to Iruka, jumping off the chair and walking into the rain. The only dogs they knew that actually talked were Kakashi-sensei's, but why would his dogs be running around like normal animals?
'He'sgoingtokillus,He'sgoingtokillus,He'sgoingtokillus.' Naruto thought over and over again in his mind, his breath quickening at the imagined anger from his favorite teacher.
Sakura raised her eyebrow at Naruto, who was clutching to Sasuke like he was his last lifeline. Iruka obviously couldn't know what they were talking about, since he had been in the dark for a little over four years. "Iruka-sensei? We know we shouldn't do this, but we have something to tell you."
It was the moment that everyone in the village was warned against by the Sandaime. The moment that would decide the future happiness of the two most respected teachers in Konohagakue. The moment of truth that would either create the most sought after pairing of all the women in the village, to spy on of course, or the most heated loathing ever imagined between two people.
"It happened four years ago…"
Iruka stared at the table for a moment, letting the words sink in. "So you're saying that the entire village kept this from me for four years?" He asked, swirling his cup and staring at the murky liquid as the particles from Tsunade's medicine settled.
His three past students shifted in their seats, Naruto refusing to make eye contact, as the other two remained silent. "We thought you should know the truth." He said quietly, his hands twisting in his lap.
"It's a fine thing you three told me now so I wouldn't go through the rest of my life not hearing it from someone else." Iruka spat out, causing the teenagers to flinch at the rebuttal. "You're just lucky I figured out that something like this had happened before you told me, or else I really would be furious."
Sakura glanced up from the spot on the floor she was looking at, "You mean, you knew?" Her pink hair hung limply around her eyes, having not been properly dried or combed out after the trek form Ichiraku to Iruka's house.
Iruka snorted, shaking his head, "I probably figured it out a couple of weeks after I was back at work. A week was suddenly missing and everyone kept asking about my childhood." The chunin drained the rest of his cup and placed it on the table before he relaxed in his chair. "Though the little interlude with Kakashi is new." He shot a glare at the blond sitting across from him.
Naruto blushed at the small barb, reaching for Sasuke's hand underneath the table and sighing slightly when he found the other genin's hand nearby. "Iruka-sensei, we didn't mean to hurt you, but you needed to know."
Before he could continue his apology a soft woof was heard from one of the dogs, they had been ostracized to the living room when the four of them had tromped through the door, and a mumbled tenor was heard replying to the animal's inquiry. A couple more of the canines whimpered, seeking attention, and the scrambling of nails on the floor was heard as they hurried to be touched by their summoning master.
"Mah, I'll see you all later." Kakashi was saying as he walked into the kitchen, a silhouette of his body framed by a light coming from the other room. "Maybe I'll get you some food, for waiting for me." Happy yips and a couple of spoken words of joy followed his retreat into the other room.
All jaws present dropped at the picture presented by the Kakashi that was an older, more mature teenager.
Wearing only a pair of sweatpants, the toned body of Kakashi was present for all to see. A few scars covered his body, obviously the missions he was in command of were not that serious yet, but they crossed over the rippling muscles that were the makeup of his body frame. He carried himself differently than everyone else present in the room, silently but with an aura of power that hung around him like a cloak.
His students watched in awe, as every movement that Kakashi made seemed to be calculated to use the least amount of energy to the highest precision possible. This was their teacher before he even knew they existed, when he was the captain of an ANBU squad. In fact, he seemed to be making a good impression on Sakura especially.
"H-hello, Kakashi-san." She said weakly, her hand rising to give a shy wave. She tucked her hair behind an ear and blushed when the cool gaze of the older man landed on her for a moment.
"Oi." He said as he turned to Iruka, who was sporting a blush almost as serious as Sakura's. It seemed that the conversation involving him and the jounin in the past was still at the front of his mind.
"Keibi says you took good care of my Ninken." He bowed, causing the people at the table to notice for the first time that this younger Kakashi was more forward with starting conversations. "I'd like to thank you, and I was wondering if I could do anything to repay you."
Iruka swallowed and his fingers tapped along the surface of his furniture, his face burning darker. "N-nothing at the time." He closed his eyes in embarrassment when Naruto started giggling nearby, his blond head burrowing into Sasuke's shoulder in a futile attempt to smother his laughter.
"Ah…" The younger jounin scratched behind his head, giving another show of his ripped body to the kitchen inhabitants, "In that case, I'll go back to my room. Call me if you need me." He turned and walked back, most likely hearing the sigh from Sakura at his retreating figure.
The pink-haired girl turned to the brunet in the room, her eyes shimmering brightly, "Iruka-sensei, you have to be the luckiest person in the village!" Her hands clasped in front of her chest in glee, squirming back and forth in her chair. "If Kakashi-sensei was that dreamy when he was younger, imagine the body he's hiding when he's older!"
Naruto, on the other hand, took a different root, "Man, Kakashi-sensei is strong! And that's with less experience! Think of all the techniques he's been keeping secret from us! We definitely have to ask him to train us harder when he changes back!"
"I think you guys need to get out of here." Iruka said, sitting up from his chair and traveling over to the sink to drop his cup in. "I've had a long day and I feel like getting to sleep soon." He walked them over to the door, sighing when he looked into the living room and saw the huge pack of dogs still lounging there.
"It's so cold out here!" Naruto whined, snuggling into Sasuke's coat and trying to close the fabric so he would be protected from the sudden shill outside. "I hope it snows tomorrow!" He said, beaming when the Uchiha wrapped his arms around him and closed the jacket easily for him.
Sakura slipped on her winter boots and walked outside towards her teammates, holding the malfunctioning umbrella in her hand as she waved back at Iruka with the other. "Iruka-sensei, if it snows tomorrow we'll come over with everyone else! I'm sure Lee would love it!" She blushed as she thought of the green-clothed teen she had been seeing for a couple of months now.
"Yes, yes, if it snows tomorrow I'll see you all, now get going." Iruka waved at them as the walked away, only closing the door when he couldn't see them in the dark any longer. Sighing, he leaned against the door and slid down it, finally sitting on the floor and looking at his house that had changed so much from only five days ago.
No longer was it spotless. Dogs lounged on every available surface, shedding hair and dirt on carpets and furniture. His kitchen was a mess, numerous items scattered across the counters and the sink was almost full from him not doing a load of dishes for a couple of days. The bedrooms were a disaster, a few of the dogs having wandered in there, and the blanket that Kakashi had dropped earlier was now being used as a pillow for a huge dog.
Resting his head back against his cool door, Iruka didn't even notice something was approaching him until a warm body pressed up against him and a cold nose pushed against his neck momentarily. He glanced down at a familiar red body, the cloth collar around its neck missing along with its headband so that it looked like any other normal dog on the street.
"Master didn't sign for me just because I can guard doors." Keibi said, his head resting in Iruka's lap, his eyes staring upwards in an unreadable expression for a moment, "I guard other things that can't be seen or felt. Like secrets and my Master's feelings." The Akita sighed softly when Iruka's hand rested on the crown of his head, stroking softly over and over again.
"I can ask for everyone to leave except the stupid pug." The dog said cautiously, its ear swiveling to take in a muffled yip from one of its pack mates. "I can then talk to you and explain some concerns of mine about my Master."
Iruka's hands paused for a second before giving a final pat to the Akita's head, a signal for him to get up. Brushing at his damp clothing, he nodded. "That would probably be for the best, thank you, Keibi."
The dog stood and shook, licking his lips as he trotted into the living room. A couple of growls were heard but then, with a poof of smoke, most of the dogs disappeared. The remaining dogs who had been lounging seemed to be part of Kakashi's original pack of eight, and they slunk into the room he was using for the time being, leaving the Akita behind to converse with the teacher.
Iruka grimaced as he sat down, rubbing his teeth over the slight film covering his teeth as he waited for the dog to sit in the seat opposite. "You said that Kakashi felt empty around this time period in his life. That he wouldn't let anyone get close?" He asked, trying to remember the details of the last conversation in the ramen stall.
"Yes, but it was strange…" The dog stared at the chunin for a moment as if debating weather to reveal its vast knowledge of the copy-nin, "To keep people away, and to try and fill his empty feeling, my Master would do many things that I have come to understand that it is something you humans do not like?"
Iruka shrugged, "There are many things people don't like, it depends on what he did."
The dog wrinkled its nose and sneezed, "He would have many…partners." Keibi looked in another direction, determined not to look at the teacher. "Master says he has to live life for the moment, since he is a ninja and could die at any moment." The unnatural green eyes focused on Iruka, waiting for a response.
The chunin's mind stuttered over the thought of a promiscuous Kakashi for a moment, trying to imagine the man he knew having a new bedmate every night of the week. "I'm sure he doesn't do that anymore." He said slowly, musing over the thought, "And I'm sure many of the more experienced ninja had this type of mentality when they were younger."
Keibi nodded, scratching behind his ear for a second before giving a little shake and rearranging his weight. "This changed after Master grew older and understood death, but he is at the stage where he does not have…emotions. He does not think about what it is he is doing, only as long as he does it.
The dog shifted when Iruka looked up, "He is like a book of facts and instructions, but with nothing behind them. Master needs someone to realize that he cannot joke or enjoy someone's company vocally right now. Master would much rather sit and think of the past rather than prepare for the future, unless that future involves the death of himself or the Konohagakue's enemies."
The brunet rested his elbows on the table, trying to digest all the information that had been fed to him in the last minute or two. "So, Kakashi doesn't have basic human compassion or emotions? How is that even possible?"
The canine snorted out its nose, "Master has gone through many things in his life that did not end well for him. After a while he just began to block them out and rely on us, his Ninken, to guide him through life.
"Please, do not think less of him when he becomes older." The Akita jumped down from the chair obviously stating the conversation was over by its body language, "Master learns from his mistakes. He just hides why he had to learn them in the first place." With a quick bow of the head, the dog trotted off deeper in the house, most likely to sit in front of Kakashi's door again.
Iruka sighed as he leaned back in his chair, one hand going back to massage at the base of his neck. This had been a long day, starting with Kakashi being a brat and training very early, and it was already the next day and here he was, still not asleep. His eyes drifted shut as he thought of what his students had told him earlier.
Unbidden, he felt a wetness form at the corners of his eyes just from all the stress he was going through. It was almost torture. Iruka wished that he never had gotten roped into this, that Tsunade could have found someone else to dump this assignment on. Someone who would want to fall in love with Kakashi!
He paused his angry trail of thought when a throat was cleared from the doorway, causing his brown eyes to gaze at the jounin. Iruka pushed back from his table and stood, bowing slightly, "I hope I didn't wake you, Kakashi-san." He said quickly, aware that he probably looked like a mess with a blushing face and a couple of stray tears smeared over his cheeks.
"Mah, I was up already." The other man said before turning back to retreat into his room. He paused and looked back at Iruka, who had been following so he could collapse on his own bed. Kakashi's eye clouded over for a moment as the chunin stumbled past him, his single grayish blue eye watching the other man's every movement.
Closing his own door quietly, he slid down to the floor against the wall, welcoming the heat of his elite Ninken as they crawled over his body to try and ease his suffering. Kakashi gripped at his chest in a futile effort to stop the pain that had been forming there all evening. It hurt more than any of the wounds he had ever received, bleeding from the inside out.
"Why does it hurt to see him cry?" He asked quietly to the room, not expecting an answer.
Author's Notes
I am now giving you, the reviewers, the chance to ask me any question you want pertaining to my works or me!
It can be something mundane, such as my favorite color (orange), or something mildly important such as if I have another fanfic in the works (yes, yes, I do). It's now your chance to find out what you really want to know!
So send in those questions! I'll post all the answers in the author's notes of my next chapter, which is already half written.
And as always, review. It makes me force myself to be bitten by the muse!
