Chapter Thirteen
The room was empty. The bed was pristinely made, fresh sheets were folded snugly around the mattress; Iruka stood frozen in the doorway, blinking in confusion at the sight.
Where was Kakashi? Iruka had said he would come back after his classes were over, and even though he had hesitated outside the hospital, filled with nervousness that he couldn't chase away, he had still climbed the stairs and ventured to the jounin's room. But Kakashi wasn't there, and Iruka didn't know if he was more disappointed, or more relieved.
The fact that he was attracted to Kakashi was no big deal, it was something he could live with, he could ignore it if he had too. He found plenty of people attractive but didn't feel the need to dwell upon it. But it was different with Kakashi, because his thoughts did dwell on the jounin. It wasn't simply a physical attraction; somewhere along the line his emotions had become tangled around Kakashi, until he had tied himself in an inescapable knot around the man.
He wanted to be friends with Kakashi. He didn't want to imagine kissing him every five minutes. That would make everything far too awkward.
"Hello Iruka-sensei."
Iruka felt himself being sucked back to reality, away from the places his thoughts had been taking him. Hanabi was standing across the corridor, looking at him with a slightly curious expression on her face.
"Oh, hello Hanabi-chan," he smiled, "what are you doing here?"
"I came to visit someone," she replied blankly, "what about you Iruka-sensei, why are you here?"
Iruka turned back to the empty bed and felt his heart begin to slowly spiral downwards in his chest, "I came to see Kakashi-sensei," he replied quietly, "but he isn't here."
When he turned back to Hanabi, one of the girl's eyebrows had quirked, it was the only change in her emotionless expression.
"Was he sick?" she asked.
Iruka smiled and shook his head as he closed the door to the room that had been Kakashi's. "No, he was injured, but he's fine."
Hanabi nodded once, "then perhaps he went home Iruka-sensei."
He smiled at her, but he could feel the smile straining his face. He felt the sudden urge to run to Kakashi's apartment, but it was a foolish desire, there was no reason for it. He couldn't let some stupid crush start controlling his actions.
"Probably," he replied, "I'd better go then. Who are you visiting Hanabi-chan?"
Hanabi blinked, and her eyebrow quirked even higher up her brow, "is this where you were this morning Iruka-sensei? With Kakashi-sensei? Is that why you were late?"
Iruka felt himself flush in embarrassment. He didn't need to feel embarrassed, he had had every right to remain in the hospital and wait for Kakashi to wake up. They were friends, or something close to friends, and Iruka had been on Kakashi's team when he was injured. There was no reason for him to feel embarrassed.
But that didn't explain why Iruka felt as though he had been caught doing something he shouldn't. All of the reasons he could come up with for waiting at Kakashi's bedside, no matter how valid, were lies. He had waited because he was worried sick, more worried than he had the right to be.
It wasn't just a crush. He had real feelings for the man. It was wonderful and horrible at the same time.
"I need to go," he said.
Hanabi nodded, "goodbye Iruka-sensei."
oO0Oo
Hanabi watched Iruka retreat down the corridor and fought the satisfied smirk from her face. So she had been right after all, Iruka-sensei had been with his boyfriend. Well, perhaps not his boyfriend, not yet anyway.
She turned away from her teacher and continued her progress down the corridor, until she reached the door to Gai-sensei's room.
Gai-sensei was laughing loudly, while his student, Tenten, turned bright red and hid her face in her hands. Hanabi knocked loudly on the already open door before striding purposefully into the room, eyes fixed upon Tenten who was watching her curiously.
"I need to speak to Gai-sensei," she said to the young woman, "alone."
Tenten frowned. She looked as though she was about to argue when her teacher spoke.
"Hanabi-chan!" he beamed, "what a wonderful surprise! It is so gracious of you to come and visit me during my convalescence; of course Tenten will be only too pleased to give us a few moments alone."
Tenten's lips flapped, but no argument came out. Instead she grumbled something under her breath and marched out of the door, slamming it loudly behind her.
"What can I do for you Hanabi-chan?" Gai grinned.
Hanabi wasn't looking at him, she was staring at the closed door, through it, to Tenten who was pressed up against the door, listening intently.
Hanabi moved silently to the door and yanked it open, watching the kunoichi who fell awkwardly through the suddenly opened doorway with dangerously narrowed eyes.
"Ah!" Tenten chuckled nervously and backed out of the door, "I'll be going then."
Hanabi closed the door; the idiot should have known better, being on a team with Neji. Hanabi rolled her eyes in annoyance and turned back to Gai-sensei.
"I am honoured that you would seek me out with such a personal problem Hanabi-chan," Gai-sensei proclaimed, tears springing to his eyes, "it must be very important if you do not wish anyone else to know about it. Anything I can do I will…"
"You're Kakashi-sensei's eternal rival?" Hanabi interrupted him before he could really get going.
Gai looked startled for a moment, before his beaming grin returned, "I am indeed!"
"So you know a lot about him?"
Gai's grin remained, although some of the cheer faded from his eyes, to be replaced with something slightly warning.
"I know as much about him as anyone," he said, "why do you ask Hanabi-chan?"
"I want to know if he has a girlfriend."
Gai was deadly silent for a moment, before he horrified Hanabi by clutching his sides and laughing so hard he shook the bed. His guffaws could probably be heard throughout the hospital, and all Hanabi could do was wait for the noise to stop, she couldn't very well be heard over the racket.
When Gai wiped his eyes, his laughs subdued to quiet chuckles, Hanabi was standing at the foot of the bed, arms folded across her chest and glaring up at the man.
"Hanabi-chan," Gai said breathlessly, "I am sure my Eternal Rival would be flattered, but I think you are slightly too young to…"
"WHAT?" she squawked, before she remembered herself and schooled her features, clearing her throat loudly. She could feel her blood pressure begin to soar through the roof, why was she surrounded by idiots on all sides?
"That wasn't why I was asking," she said, with a voice like cool venom.
"Really?" Gai nodded, but his lips were twitching amusedly, "I suppose there is no harm in telling you. Kakashi does not have a girlfriend."
Hanabi's eyes narrowed mischievously, she allowed Gai to see her smirk.
"What about a boyfriend?"
If Hanabi were anyone other than who she was, she would have laughed outright at the expression on Gai-sensei's face. All the humour had dropped out of him, he looked utterly shocked and mightily uncomfortable under Hanabi's gaze all of a sudden.
"How do you..?" Gai shook himself and frowned.
How do you… what? How did she know? Had that been what he was about to ask? Hanabi edged closer to him subconsciously, ready to pry answers out of him if she had to.
"He… no," Gai said, "he… he doesn't."
Hanabi cocked her head to the side, "but he likes someone." It wasn't a question.
Gai's eyebrows drew together; Hanabi had never seen the man look so serious, or so annoyed.
"Hanabi," he warned, "I do not know why you have taken such an interest in my Eternal Rival's love life, but you shouldn't involve yourself in things that do not concern you. Kakashi's private life is…"
"I know who it is."
Gai fell completely silent, regarding her with slight suspicion.
"You know who it is," he repeated.
She nodded.
"How?" he asked.
She shrugged nonchalantly, "I notice things."
The door swung open suddenly. Tenten peered in, an annoyed light to her features. Hanabi regarded her coolly, aware that Gai's eyes had not left her face despite the interruption.
"Are you two finished yet," Tenten asked irritably.
Hanabi turned back to Gai, who was still looking at her with a slight frown.
"No Tenten," Gai replied suddenly, "Hanabi and I have a lot to talk about, could you come back later?"
Hanabi had to concentrate to stop a grin from spreading over her face.
oO0Oo
Shinichi could hear the blood rushing though his ears as he strained them to listen. He was poised to flee at the first bark, at the first hint that he was being followed he would be gone. The first sign of a nin-dog and there would be nothing left of him but a trail of dust.
After coming so far, he wasn't about to be caught. Not yet. He hadn't thought about what would happen to him after he had had his revenge, but it didn't really matter. He had nothing left anyway.
He couldn't go back to the teahouse. If he was being tracked then returning there was too dangerous. Instead he wandered through the streets of Konoha, pondering the new development in his plan for vengeance.
He slowed his steps when his stomach grumbled loudly.
He hadn't eaten anything since he had been sitting atop the roof across from the hospital courtyard, watching Kakashi. His stomach felt like it was tying itself in knots around his spine, and the aromas floating out into the street were like sublime torture.
What he wouldn't give for some fish. Salmon, or monkfish, or eel. Or calamari from the stand at the end of the high street back in Hidden Mist. He had an ongoing tab there, one that he wouldn't be able to pay off now.
As his stomach groaned at him again he turned into the food stand to his left, practically floating along on the smells coming from within.
"What's this?" the girl behind the counter asked her companion as Shinichi slid onto one of the stools and salivated as he perused the menu. Ramen, ramen, ramen. Maybe there would be some seafood ramen.
"What?" an older man, wielding a spatula, shuffled towards her and peered at what she was holding in her arms, "they're clothes."
"I can see that!" the girl spat, "but why are they here? They're a shinobi uniform aren't they?"
"Hmm," Shinichi looked towards them as his stomach growled again, ready to wave one of them over and order everything on the menu, "oh, they're Iruka-sensei's."
Shinichi raised his hand and opened his mouth to yell for one of them.
"He left them here yesterday I think," the man continued, "he ran out after Kakashi-san and didn't come back for them."
Shinichi dropped his hand and snapped his mouth shut.
"Yeah," the girl sighed, "he's really gorgeous."
"Yeah well," the man replied, "Iruka-sensei didn't seem very happy with the way you were drooling over the poor guy."
"Wha..?" she glared at him, "I wasn't drooling!"
"Do something useful won't you?" the man replied, "take those back to Iruka-sensei and apologise for making a nuisance of yourself, he probably won't come here with Kakashi-san again because of you."
"Oh, be quiet," she sniffed as she folded the clothes, "by the way, we have a customer."
Shinichi slid swiftly out of his seat and wandered back out into the street.
"Look at that!" the man yelled as Shinichi paused just outside the ramen stand, "thanks to you, that's another customer driven away!"
"Don't blame me!"
Shinichi scratched his arm and tucked a strand of hair behind his ear as he waited. His heart was doing double time.
Iruka-sensei, why do you have Kakashi-sensei's clothes?
Knowing him, something perverted must have happened. I bet he's corrupting Iruka-sensei.
Iruka-sensei didn't seem very happy with the way you were drooling over the poor guy.
I think I have… feelings for someone.
The girl swept out into the street, a small pile of dark clothes in her arms, whistling happily to herself. Shinichi watched her wander down the street, until she was nearly at the corner, before he followed.
If his suspicions were correct, it would be very useful indeed to know where Iruka-sensei lived.
oO0Oo
He had trained the dog far too well. It had taken him an hour to get out of his own apartment; Pakkun had taken on the role of guard dog, and refused to allow Kakashi to get up for anything other than to use the bathroom.
For such a small dog, he couldn't half bite.
Kakashi absently bent over and rubbed his poor abused ankle. The first time he had tried to escape, the pug had attached his jaws to Kakashi's ankle, growling about how Sakura had ordered him to stay in bed for the rest of the day.
It had taken a hastily rewired trap, a strategically placed slice of bacon, and speed the Yellow Flash would have been proud of to finally escape.
But now that he was finally standing outside Iruka's house, he was beginning to wish his escape had been foiled after all. Back in his apartment he had been focused on getting out so he could see Iruka, but now he was actually leaning against the chuunin's front door, waiting for him to show up, there were electric butterflies dancing in his stomach.
Was it normal for him to feel such nervous excitement? He just wanted to talk to the chuunin, nothing else. There was no explaination for the way his stomach would drop at sporadic intervals as he waited, or why he felt so breathless as another minute ticked away.
He hadn't felt like this last time he had spoken to the chuunin. Maybe it was a mistake. He had thought he could be friends with Iruka, he had decided that it was a risk he was willing to take, to let someone else into his life. Gai certainly seemed to be all for the idea. But he was beginning to have second thoughts. If he was going to feel so anxious whenever he was around Iruka then he should forget the entire notion.
"Kakashi-sensei!"
Kakashi jumped, startled by the sudden intrusion upon his thoughts. His breath stilled in his chest when he looked down the steps to where Iruka was standing.
"Wh… what are you doing here?" Iruka asked. The schoolteacher's cheeks were beginning to burn right before Kakashi's eyes. He looked surprised, but Kakashi couldn't tell is it was a good surprised, or a bad surprised.
"Um," Kakashi swallowed past the lump in his throat. His mouth suddenly felt dry, he could feel the heavy beat of his heart reverberating through his entire body.
"I…" Iruka took a hesitant step up towards Kakashi, "are you feeling alright?"
Kakashi tried to answer, but there was something in his throat preventing it. He nodded.
Iruka smiled. It was a small smile, slightly nervous maybe, but happy nonetheless. It was surprisingly sweet.
"I went to the hospital," Iruka confessed as he shuffled on the spot, his eyes flitting to Kakashi's face, then to the floor, then back again, "but you were gone already, so…"
"Iruka-sensei!"
Both Kakashi and Iruka turned to the source of the sound. Kakashi found himself frowning in irritation at the girl from the ramen stand. He wondered how he could shoo her away so that he could be alone with Iruka again without offending anyone.
"Oh, Kakashi-san," she breathed and smiled, "hello again."
She scurried up the steps, smiling brightly, staring blatantly at Kakashi's masked face. Kakashi's eyes kept alternating between her smile and the scowl that Iruka was aiming at her.
"Can I help you with something, Ayame-san?" Iruka asked.
"Hm?" she spared him a glance before looking back at Kakashi, "oh, I brought your clothes, you left them at Ichiraku."
"Thank you," Iruka said pointedly and snatched them out of Ayame's hands with a very forced looking smile.
"You're welcome," she replied.
Kakashi watched her watching him and began to feel just a little uncomfortable.
"Was there something else you wanted, Ayame-san?" Iruka asked. It sounded as though he was gritting his teeth.
"Um, no," she admitted, and blushed slightly.
"Goodbye then," Iruka replied.
Ayame's face fell, "um, bye."
She gave Kakashi one last dazzling smile before running down the steps and down the street as fast as she could.
"Couldn't be anymore obvious if she tried," Kakashi heard Iruka mutter as he plunged his hand into his pocket.
"Obvious about what?" Kakashi asked.
Iruka snapped his head up to look at Kakashi, his cheeks flaming once again, "it… nothing, it doesn't matter," he pulled his keys out of his pocket and smiled, "would you like to come in?"
Kakashi's breath hitched. Well, he hadn't expected to stand on the doorstep all day once Iruka had returned, but still, the invitation set off the butterflies again.
He nodded. Iruka chuckled softly, nervously, and then dropped his keys.
"Shit," he hissed, his face darkening under his blush even more.
Kakashi knelt down a moment before Iruka did, but Iruka's hand curled around the keys resting on the doorstep before Kakashi's could pick them up. Kakashi found his own hand curled around Iruka's, and even though he knew he should take his hand back before he embarrassed himself, his brain had ceased communicating with the rest of his body.
He was looking at their hands, his resting over Iruka's, rather than looking into the chuunin's face. Iruka probably thought he was insane.
He didn't want to let go.
"K-Kakashi…" Iruka's voice was barely even a whisper.
Kakashi jerked up at the sound of a dog howling somewhere nearby. He was back on his feet, looking down onto the street in an instant, straining his ears for the sound of the dog again. He recognised the howl as Kuromaru's, and since the Inuzukas were hunting for the missing-nin that was hiding in Konoha, there was only one thing that howl could mean.
Kuromaru had found him.
"Kakashi-sensei," Kakashi turned at the sound of his voice. Iruka had opened the door and was chewing on his lower lip, "are you going to come in?"
Kakashi pushed all thoughts of missing-nins to the back of his head and followed Iruka through the doorway.
oO0Oo
Shinichi skidded around the corner and into the alley behind a restauraunt. The stench of garbage seemed to drown out the rest of the world, he covered his face with his hand to block out the smell and he wedged himself behind the bins and waited, listening.
His heart was pounding, but he didn't know if it was fear or excitement. He had seen the Copy-nin and that schoolteacher together, shuffling awkwardly around one another. He had seen the look on the teacher's face when the ramen girl stared unabashedly at the Copy-nin, and the way Kakashi had wrapped his hand around the teacher's and hesitated to let go.
They were so damn obvious, like a pair of schoolboys with a crush. The idea of Sharingan Kakashi behaving like an awkward, hormonal teenager around the object of his affections brought a cruel smirk to Shinichi's face. It was just too funny, who would have thought Hatake Kakashi was human enough to have the hots for someone?
But this was better than Shinichi had imagined. Killing a chuunin would be far easier than killing a jounin. Gai was still an option, but Iruka was a far more attractive piece of prey. Shinichi was a jounin, not as powerful or as skilled as Kakashi, but he should be more than capable of murdering a schoolteacher.
His blood turned to ice once again when he heard the barks. He couldn't outrun the dogs on his tail, he had to think of another way of evading them.
He leapt across to the skip at the other side of the alley and threw it wide open. It was filled with rancid meat and rotting vegetables and the smell was enough to make him gag.
He took a deep breath and jumped in, wriggling himself into the rubbish with disgust all over his face as his fingers danced through seal after seal.
Grey clouds gathered in the sky, and as he jumped back out of the garbage, the heavens cracked open and the first raindrop fell.
oO0Oo
Iruka dropped his clothes onto the couch and whipped back around to face Kakashi. He had to force himself not to fidget, he was almost twitching with nerves. But Kakashi was in his house again, and Iruka was wracking his brains for a way to get him to stay.
"So… um…"
He couldn't think of anything to say. His mind was still fixated on the way Kakashi's hand felt wrapped around his. In that single moment, the world had stood still, it felt as though they had been crouched there on his doorstep for much longer than they actually had.
He hadn't meant to speak, he wanted to wait in that moment for longer, but Kakashi's name had fallen from his lips, and his voice had sounded so needy he wanted to kick himself.
As soon as he had said Kakashi's name, Kakashi had taken his hand away, as though the touch of Iruka's skin was burning him.
"My clothes," Kakashi said, breaking into Iruka's thoughts.
"Huh?" Iruka swallowed and licked his suddenly dry lips. Kakashi was standing across the room, with his hands in his pockets, one single eye suffocating Iruka with the weight of Kakashi's gaze.
"Um," Kakashi's eye arched into a smile, "you still have my clothes, Iruka-sensei."
Clothes? Oh. Iruka felt his face heat up again as he hurried towards the staircase, "of course, I forgot, just wait there."
He dived up the stairs, almost falling on his face as he reached the top.
It was just Kakashi. He had to keep reminding himself of that if he hoped to keep his sanity. Just Kakashi, who had been in Iruka's house before, they had shared tea, they had sat in the hospital together waiting for news on Gai, they had been on a mission together, they had eaten ramen together. It was just Kakashi. He didn't need to panic.
He was panicking. He couldn't find Kakashi's clothes. He didn't know if he wanted to laugh or cry. He sank down onto the bed and heaved a calming breath. He had no idea why he was reacting in such a way. So he was attracted to him, that was no reason to lose his head. There were plenty of good looking people in the village and Iruka never reacted to them like this.
He ran the palm of his left hand over the back of his right. Where Kakashi has placed his own hand over Iruka's.
Iruka jumped up from the bed, suddenly remembering where he had left Kakashi's clothes and feeling like a complete fool.
He forced himself to walk calmly down the stairs, concentrating on breathing evenly. When he walked back into the main room of his house, a smile plastered onto his face, Kakashi was still standing where Iruka had left him, glancing at the pictures on the walls and absently rubbing his left arm.
His injured arm.
"Are you sure it's alright for you to be up and about?" Iruka asked as he crossed the room, "shouldn't you be resting?"
"I'm fine," Kakashi replied softly, dropping his hand to his side, "thank you, but you don't need to worry about me Iruka-sensei."
"I can't help it," Iruka chuckled, "you um… saved my life. Again. I didn't thank you."
"You don't have to," Kakashi replied hastily, "I just… didn't want anything to happen to you."
Iruka felt as though his heart had tripled in size. There wasn't enough room in his chest to fit both his heart and air in his lungs. He was smiling, fit to burst.
"I'll… just get your clothes," he breathed as he walked around the jounin to the kitchen.
He was being a girl, but Kakashi didn't want anything to happen to him, and it was wonderful.
He cleared his throat as he opened the cupboard, afraid that when he next spoke he'd sound all high pitched. Kakashi's uniform was still there, next to the packets of instant ramen. He clamped his fingers over the material and pulled it out.
"You keep clothes in the kitchen cupboards?" a voice purred behind him, amused.
He spun around and found Kakashi in the doorway, his single exposed eye sparkling in amusement.
"I…no," he said, smiling ruefully at himself, "no, just yours."
Kakashi's eyebrow raised, "just mine?"
Iruka felt his stomach quiver, he held out the clothes and chuckled nervously, "here."
Kakashi just looked at the clothes for a moment, before taking them from Iruka's outstretched hands.
Iruka stepped back and clasped his hands behind his back, smiling despite himself at Kakashi and trying to think of something, anything to say next.
But confronted with the sight of Kakashi standing in his kitchen with something in his eye that might have been… fondness? He couldn't find any words.
Kakashi's gaze wandered from Iruka's face to a point just over the chuunin's shoulder, and the look that might have been fondness turned into suspicious confusion.
"What is it?" Iruka asked, looking over his shoulder to follow Kakashi's line of sight.
The only things behind him were the kitchen sink and the window. Out in the street the rain was lashing downwards.
"I didn't think it was going to rain today," Iruka frowned before turning back to Kakashi, "it was sunny a few minutes ago."
"Mmm," Kakashi hummed, still frowning towards the window.
"So," Iruka sighed shakily, "you're welcome to stay until the rain stops," the flare of hope that exploded in his stomach was white hot and desperate, "if you'd like."
Kakashi looked back at Iruka, his eye had widened slightly, "I… I wouldn't want to put you to any trouble."
"No trouble," Iruka shook his head quickly, "I'd like you to stay."
Kakashi smiled, even through the mask Iruka could see it.
"Alright then."
Iruka's smile widened, "tea?"
oO0Oo
The Mizukage had taught Shinichi how to make it rain. But Shinichi didn't have the Mizukage's stamina. He couldn't feed his chakra through the raindrops for long, not like the Mizukage could. Shinichi couldn't use the rain to feel out his surroundings, he couldn't map out the land by the way the rain fell upon the ground. But he could feel the rain that fell a few metres around him. So he knew that there was a dog a couple of yards behind him, because he could feel the rain falling upon it.
When he turned around to look, the dog growled.
It was a large dog. Not as large as the bull dog he had drowned, but bigger than he liked. It was black and vicious looking, and wore an eye patch over one eye.
It had incredibly sharp looking teeth.
"Crap," Shinichi hissed as he turned slowly to face the animal, afraid to make any sudden movements, "um, good doggie…"
The dog growled louder.
"Good doggie," Shinichi tried inching slowly backwards, "stay."
The dog stopped growling and blinked at him.
"That's right, good doggie," Shinichi cooed, "stay there."
"For your sake," the dog ground out suddenly, "I hope you're just retarded, because if you think that's an appropriate way to talk to me then I'll rip your fucking throat out."
Shinichi halted and his eyebrows shot into his hairline.
"I hate dogs," he muttered to himself.
The dog narrowed his eye, and seemed to smirk, "now," he said, "be a good human, and stay."
Shinichi glowered at the mutt as it raised its head and let out a howl loud enough to pierce eardrums.
The dog looked back at him and stepped forward, "who are you and what's your business in Konoha?"
Shinichi sighed and cracked his knuckles. He refused to be captured now.
"I suggest you let me go," he told the animal.
The dog shook its head, droplets of water flew from it's fur.
"Not going to happen."
Shinichi shrugged and formed a seal. The dog leapt forwards at the movement, teeth bared, ready to make good on his promise and rip out Shinichi's throat, but he wasn't fast enough, because the jutsu the Mizukage had taught him wasn't only used to scope out the landscape.
The rain around Shinichi ceased falling downwards, and shot out, like tiny water bullets. It whipped around him like a tiny cyclone and gushed towards the dog, knocking it back.
There was blood in the rain as each drop slammed into the dog's body, eating into his flesh with the speed at which they travelled.
Shinichi waited until the dogs whimpers ceased before releasing the jutsu. The rain began falling again, hitting the earth the way it was supposed to.
Shinichi turned away from the huddled mess on the ground, tired after expending his chakra like that, and walked towards the trees.
oO0Oo
The picture stuck to the refrigerator had caught Kakashi's attention. It was held up by an apple shaped fridge magnet. He recognised it immediately, he had an exact copy in a frame in his apartment. Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke. The image brought a small smile to his face.
He was in the picture too, but his face was hidden by the fridge magnet. For some reason, that made him feel slightly sad.
"Naruto gave me a copy," Iruka said. Kakashi turned and smiled at him as the chuunin held out a cup of tea, "so that I wouldn't forget what he looks like."
Kakashi chuckled and took the teacup. The heat of the liquid soaked into his right hand. He couldn't feel anything in his left, apart from a slight ache when he flexed his fingers.
"How's your arm?" Iruka asked, as though he could read Kakashi's thoughts.
"It's fine," he replied with a smile, and as though to contradict his words, his arm immediately began to ache, "you were injured too weren't you? Are you aright?"
"It was just a couple of cracked ribs," Iruka replied as he blew over his tea, "Sakura fixed me up."
Kakashi smiled, "she'll be a great ninja."
Iruka nodded, beaming like a proud parent, "I know. You should be proud, she was your student after all."
"She was your's too," Kakashi said, "but it's Tsunade who should be proud, she's Sakura's teacher."
"You taught her the basics though," Iruka argued.
Kakashi shook his head, "no, you did. I didn't teach her anything really."
Iruka frowned and put his cup down on the counter, "yes you did. She learnt about teamwork from you, that's more important than anything else she could learn."
Kakashi blinked in surprise at the conviction in Iruka's voice. The chuunin was watching him with such intensity that Kakashi thought he would melt. His fingers tightened around the cup he was holding, and after a moment he had to look away from Iruka's face. He chose to look into his tea instead.
"Let's go sit down," Iruka said finally as he picked up his cup, "I'm not a very good host, making you stand in the kitchen."
Kakashi looked up, ready to argue that he didn't mind standing in the kitchen so long as he was standing with Iruka, but he heard the words in his head before he uttered them, and stopped himself.
Iruka smiled at him and led the way into the main room. Kakashi took one last look at the picture stuck to the fridge, at the apple that covered his face, and followed.
Iruka wandered past the table, much to Kakashi's surprise, and stopped at the faded blue couch, placing his cup on the coffee table before bouncing down onto the cushions.
Kakashi wavered for a moment. The couch wasn't very big, and while he desperately wanted to be close to Iruka, he wondered if it was such a good idea. He wasn't sure he'd be able to stop himself from touching the chuunin without something to separate them.
But Iruka was smiling up at him, his eyebrows raised slightly, and when Kakashi hesitated the smile faltered a little.
Kakashi saw the smile start to fade and moved closer to the couch. He placed his cup down on the table beside Iruka's, but rather than bounce down onto the couch as Iruka had, he lowered himself carefully, making sure that there was a couple of inches between himself and the chuunin.
Iruka smiled at him, but for some strange reason the chuunin blushed suddenly and turned away, picking up his teacup and sipping the liquid.
Kakashi looked at his own tea, cooling on the coffee table. Iruka had asked him if he wanted tea, and he had said yes, but that inferred that he planned to drink it.
He looked back at Iruka, who was still sipping his tea and staring dead ahead, as though determinedly not looking at him. He wanted to drink the tea. Not because he was thirsty, but because he wanted to be able to do something as normal as drink tea with Iruka.
He looked back to the cup, which suddenly seemed so very far away. It shouldn't be difficult really, everybody drank tea, everybody shared a cup with someone every now and again. Everybody but Kakashi, and that was suddenly something that he wanted to change.
He reached out with his good arm, picked up the cup, and held his breath.
oO0Oo
Shinichi stumbled to a halt, leaning heavily against one of the trees. The rain couldn't reach the ground so deep into the forest, it was captured by the canopy of leaves over head. But he was still soaked to the bone. His hair was sticking to his face, his clothes were sopping wet and itching. Somewhere in the distance he could still hear barking. They were still coming for him.
He closed his eyes, just for a moment, and breathed deeply. He shouldn't have used that jutsu to kill the dog, he had used up too much chakra. He had never had much stamina, it was foolish of him to do that. But it was too late now. He just had to keep moving.
He whirled out of the way as a kunai skimmed through the air and thunked into the tree. It had taken a couple of strands of his hair, pinning them to the trunk.
He turned to the direction that the kunai had flown from, and his eyes went wide.
"Hello Shinichi-kun."
The hunter-nin dropped from the tree branch easily, landing softly on the leaves below. Even with the mask, Shinichi knew him at one. He would recognise that blond hair anywhere, longer than he was tall and wrapped around the man's neck in a braid, like a scarf.
He shook the surprise from his face and frowned at the other man, "Jin, what are you doing here?"
The hunter-nin slid his mask from his face, and smiled. The smile was surprisingly warm for someone who had been throwing kunai a moment ago.
"I'm taking you home Shinichi," he replied.
oO0Oo
His father had worn a mask. Not all the time, not like Kakashi, just while he was on missions, to hide his face from his enemies.
He hadn't been wearing a mask when he killed himself. Kakashi wished that he had been. Then he wouldn't have had to see the face of his father's corpse.
It had been quiet when he got home, but it had been quiet in his family's house for a while, so Kakashi hadn't given it a second thought. It was the scent of blood that made him wander through the rooms until he came to the garden.
His father's eyes had been open, looking at him. He looked the same as he always had, only different. It was the difference that stayed with Kakashi.
"You look exactly like your father," everyone would say. But when he tried to picture his father's face, it was only the difference he could see.
He didn't want to wear the face of a corpse. So he wore a mask instead.
Iruka was still looking straight ahead as he sipped his tea. Kakashi swallowed hard, he cradled his cup in his lap, and raised his hand to his face.
He could see Iruka's eyes go wide as he lowered the material. But the chuunin didn't look. He kept his wide eyes forward, but he had stopped sipping, he was simply holding his cup to his lips, frozen solid.
Kakashi raised his cup and took one single, small sip. Then placed the cup back down and pulled his mask up again.
Iruka was still looking straight ahead. His eyes were still wide. He hadn't looked when Kakashi had given him the opportunity.
Iruka took a shuddering breath, and continued to sip.
Kakashi grinned, stupidly happy, and made himself comfortable on the couch.
oO0Oo
Shinichi raised his hand and tugged the kunai out of the wood. The few strands of his hair that the kunai had taken with it floated to the ground.
"I'm not going home," Shinichi replied, not looking up at his friend, "you've had a wasted journey Jin."
"Please Shinichi," Jin pleaded softly, "I know you, you'd never abandon us. Why are you doing this?"
Shinichi turned to regard the other man coldly, "leave."
Jin shook his head, "I am taking you home. I'll carry you back unconscious if I have to."
Shinichi smirked, "aren't your orders to kill me?"
Jin shook his head, "only if your resist."
"I am going to resist."
"I'm not going to kill you," Jin said as he took a step closer to him, "please don't make me fight you. The Mizukage is beside himself, everyone is worried, we thought you had finally found Zabuza and he'd killed you."
Shinichi had to look away from the concern in Jin's face. Seeing the other man was painful, it hurt to have his home flaunted in front of him. He missed his village, his friends, he had missed Jin, and now here he was, asking him to come home.
The barking was getting louder.
"I can't come home," Shinichi admitted, looking to the ground, "not yet."
"Why?" Jin asked, "tell me what's wrong, please, I'll help you."
Shinichi laughed bitterly, "will you kill Sharingan Kakashi for me?"
Jin frowned, "what are you talking about?"
He looked up, glaring hotly across the leaves and roots towards the man who was once his friend.
"Zabuza is dead."
Jin seemed to sag in relief, "you killed him."
With a bitter smirk, Shinichi shook his head, "Sharingan Kakashi killed him. I found the body."
Jin's eyes went wide with pity, "I know it must be painful…"
"NO!" Shinichi yelled, "you don't know! He was my brother! Mine! I was supposed to kill him!"
"What difference does it make?" Jin asked, "why does it matter who killed him? Either way, he's dead."
"You don't understand!" Shinichi spat.
"Then explain it," Jin replied, stepping closer to him.
"I'll never know," Shinichi hissed angrily, "I'll never know if he still loved me!"
"He was your brother," Jin said softly, "of course he loved you."
"Just shut up!" Shinichi cried. He could feel tears stinging at his eyes. He didn't want to cry, he blinked to hold them back.
"You're here for revenge?" Jin asked, "is that it? You were going to kill Zabuza, why do you want revenge on someone for doing the very thing you were going to do?"
"I wanted to bring him back!" Shinichi shouted, voicing for the first time what he had really wanted all along, "I wanted to bring Zabuza back! I wanted my brother back!"
"Shinichi, that's madness," Jin replied, "you couldn't have brought Zabuza home, he would have been executed, you know that."
"I could have talked to the Mizukage…"
"You might be the Mizukage's favourite," Jin shook his head, "but nothing you could have said would persuade him to spare Zabuza's life."
"You don't know that!"
"Yes, I do!" Jin yelled suddenly, "and so do you! This is madness Shinichi, just come home with me. I know you're hurting but everything will be alright if you…"
"NO!" Shinichi's fingers tightened around the handle of the kunai, "I'm not leaving! He killed my brother, and I'm going to make him pay!"
"I'll force you if I have to," Jin replied, his blue eyes were heavy with sadness.
"Try it," Shinichi hissed.
Jin blinked, and then sighed heavily.
"I won't kill you," he said as he slowly began to unwind the braid from a round his neck, "alright? I won't kill you."
Shinichi smirked as Jin dropped his hair from his hands. The end of the braid hit the ground loudly, making a dent in the earth, scattering the leaves.
"I know you won't."
Jin moved before Shinichi finished speaking. He whipped his head around, and Shinichi only barely managed to lunge out of the way as the other man's hair sailed past him. The braid hit the tree Shinichi had been standing in front of, and the sound of wood splintering filled the forest and drowned out the sound of the dogs getting steadily closer.
Shinichi landed a few feet away. His chakra was still low, but he knew all of Jin's moves.
"I know what you're thinking," Jin said sadly, "that you know all of my moves," the blond pulled his braid towards him, until he could reach down and take the end in his hands and pull the metal clasp that kept his hair tied away. "But you're forgetting Shinichi," he separated the folds of hair, unravelling the braid until half of his hair was free, "I know all of your's too."
This time, when he whipped his hair, the individual strands glistened and sliced through everything they touched. Shinichi leapt back again, but a couple of strands sang past him and sliced into his back, like lashes of a whip, slicing through his skin. He could feel blood dripping down his back.
No one in Jin's family ever cut their hair. Not because they didn't want to, but because nothing could cut through it. Each strand was like metal wire, hard and sharp, and it shone like gold in the light.
"Wait!" Shinichi gasped as he fell to his knees; the cuts to his back began to sting in earnest.
Jin paused, his hair fell still.
"You win," Shinichi breathed softly. He couldn't help the tears that escaped his lashes this time. He didn't want to, this time he deserved his tears.
"You'll come back with me?" Jin asked, hope shaking his voice.
Shinichi looked up at him through his tears, "I'm sorry," he said weakly, "you were my best friend you know."
"I still am, stupid," Jin said, smiling joyfully as he ran over to Shinichi, his hair trailed behind him like a river of liquid sunshine.
Shinichi smiled, the tears were hot against his face, he could feel himself rotting on the inside, "help me up then."
Jin grinned and reached his arm out, pulling Shinichi up, "I'm glad I was the one who found you," he said, before he dragged Shinichi into a hug and held him there.
"I'm not," Shinichi replied, before he drove the kunai into his best friend's bared neck, "I'm sorry Jin, I'm so sorry."
When Jin fell out of his arms, his eyes were wide and shocked. Shinichi held onto Jin's upper arms as he fell to his knees at Shinichi's feet, looking up at him with blood streaming from the wound in his neck.
His very soul felt like it was rotting. Jin's eyes softened, and through the blood he smiled up at Shinichi.
The barks were louder. The rain had stopped. Shinichi dropped to his knees beside his best friend's body and tried to breath through his sobs.
oO0Oo
When he was sure that the mask had been pulled back up, Iruka placed the cup down on the table with shaking hands, and looked at Kakashi. He had wanted to look. He couldn't remember ever wanting anything more. But he also wanted to be given permission. Kakashi's face was always hidden, and to be allowed to look would be the kind of privilege some would kill for.
But he didn't just want to see Kakashi's face. He wanted Kakashi to show him.
Kakashi was smiling. He wasn't looking at Iruka, he was staring at the teacup. It was still almost full, he had only taken a sip. But for a moment he had bared his face, and even though Iruka hadn't looked, he felt the need to thank him. Kakashi trusted him enough to take off his mask, and it made Iruka so incredibly grateful he had to say something.
"Kakashi-sen…"
"Do you have any biscuits?" Kakashi asked suddenly, looking into Iruka's face.
"Huh? I…" Iruka swallowed, "y-yes. Would you like some."
Kakashi nodded.
Iruka smiled. His breath had caught, he felt as though he was dying from oxygen deprivation, but it felt so good he never wanted to breathe again.
"I'll go and get some," he said as he rose from the couch.
As soon as he had turned away from Kakashi the smile on his face grew wide enough to break him in two. He was still shaking, and he didn't know why. He felt like he could float away, unsteady as he was.
Hatake Kakashi had taken his mask off in Iruka's house, with Iruka right there. No one would ever believe him.
But he was never going to tell anyone anyway, because he wanted to keep it for himself. He wanted to keep that little part of Kakashi that no one else was allowed for his own. He might not have looked, but Kakashi had given him more than he gave anyone else, he had given him the opportunity, and that was something Iruka didn't want to share with anyone.
He reached into the cupboard for a packet of plain, boring old biscuits, wondering if Kakashi would like them, if he would even eat them, if he would take his mask down again to eat one. But even if he did, Iruka wouldn't look.
But he hoped Kakashi would tell him to.
As he turned to walk back into the main room, the picture on the fridge stopped him.
He put the biscuits on the counter, and slid the apple shaped fridge magnet to the side. The photograph was hanging at an odd angle with the magnet pinning it at the corner, but now he could see all of their faces. As wonky as it was, they were all there.
He grinned and swiped up the biscuits again, before walking back to Kakashi.
oO0Oo
Shinichi secured the mask over his face just as the first dog leapt through the leaves and skidded to a halt opposite him. It was huge. Massive and white and feral looking.
It growled at him; its jaws were probably big enough to take his head off.
After a second the bushes moved, and a boy stumbled after the animal.
"Hold on Akamaru," the boy said, glaring at Shinichi, and then looking down at the body at Shinichi's feet.
"The others are right behind me," the boy warned Shinichi.
Shinichi shrugged and looked down at Jin. He had closed Jin's eyes. They hadn't been as blue as they once were. The sight had almost caused him to come undone.
"I'm a hunter-nin," Shinichi told the boy, not looking up from Jin's face, "I'm not your enemy."
"Like hell!" the boy yelled heatedly, "you killed Kuromaru you bastard!"
Before the boy or his beast of an animal could move, two more figures pushed through the bushes, with dogs growling at their heels.
"Don't Kiba," the young woman warned, holding an arm out as though to keep the boy back. She was watching Shinichi suspiciously.
"If you attack me it will be regarded as an act of war," Shinichi warned, "hunter-nin are permitted to pass though foreign countries while tracking their targets."
The woman nodded, and then looked to the muddy coloured mongrel at her heels.
The dog leapt towards Jin's body, jabbing its muzzle into his side.
Shinichi clenched his fists, wanting nothing more than to kick the mutt away from Jin's body. Jin's clothes were too big for him, his fists were hidden by the fabric of the sleeves.
The dog made a snuffling sound and moved back to its master.
"It's him," the woman said to her companions before looking back to Shinichi, the suspicion had left her face, "your target had been hiding in our village."
Shinichi nodded as he knelt down, unfastening Jin's pack from around his waist and spreading it open, revealing the equipment every hunter-nin carried.
"He won't be bothering you any more," he replied as he took out the necessary items, "would you like to watch as I destroy the body?"
The woman looked at the boy beside her. His eyes had gone wide as he watched Shinichi work.
"That won't be necessary," she replied, "we'll leave you too it."
Shinichi watched them go before he lit the fire. He wanted to be alone as his friend burned.
oO0Oo
Kakashi's cup was empty when Iruka returned with the biscuits. His mask was back over his face, but Iruka was still smiling as he placed the biscuits upon the table.
"Kakashi-sensei," he began as he dropped back into the seat. His thigh was touching Kakashi's, and the contact spread heat through him. He looked down at their legs, at where they were touching, and lost his train of thought.
"Yes?" Kakashi asked.
Iruka looked up into his face, and smiled to hide his embarrassment at having drifted away like that.
He might have imagined it, but Kakashi's voice sounded a little strained.
"Sorry," Iruka said softly, "so, um, Kakashi-sensei…"
"Kakashi," the jounin interrupted.
Iruka blinked, "what?"
"Call me Kakashi," the man said carefully, "just Kakashi."
To Iruka, it seemed as though the world had fallen away. There was nothing apart from himself and Kakashi, sitting together, so close their thighs were touching.
He wanted to lean over and bury his face in Kakashi's shoulder. He wanted to breathe the man in and hold onto him. There was a shiver trying to work its way through him, hovering pleasantly at the base of his spine.
"Kakashi," he said, and he felt as though he was burning in the arms of the sun just saying his name. Just his name.
"Yes, Iruka?" Kakashi asked.
The shiver swept through him, up his spine and through his chest, taking all of the air in his lungs with it.
His name had never sounded as perfect as it did when it was uttered in Kakashi's voice. It was like a purr, it shimmered in the air between them and sent flames dancing along Iruka's skin.
"I…" he had to drag in a breath before he could speak, "I just wanted…"
"What do you want?" Kakashi whispered.
There were so many things that Iruka could say in response. The question alone had him spinning. There was lazy heat curling in his abdomen, awoken by the sound of Kakashi's voice, sending tiny shockwaves through him.
What had he wanted? He had been about to ask Kakashi something, he couldn't remember, it didn't seem important anymore.
Would Kakashi kill him if he asked for a kiss?
Kakashi looked away suddenly with a frown.
Oh god, Iruka hadn't said that out loud had he? He felt the warmth that had been washing through him turn to ice.
"What's that sound?" Kakashi asked.
Iruka shook his head and turned to follow the direction of Kakashi's gaze. He could hear a sound now, a light scratching.
Then a bark.
Then a voice.
"Kakashi!" the voice rasped angrily, "you're supposed to be in bed! When I get in there…"
Kakashi chuckled nervously and glanced at Iruka.
"That would be Pakkun," he said quietly, "I think I trained him too well."
Iruka had to shake himself. He felt slightly apart from the rest of the world, as though he had been dreaming, but he wasn't entirely sure if he had woken up yet.
"You…" Iruka frowned, anger and anxiety suddenly bubbling up inside him, "you're supposed to be in bed?"
Kakashi chuckled again, sounding even more nervous than before, and shrugged.
Iruka pinched the bridge of his nose and got up to let the yelling dog in.