Briefing: since this is For All I'm Worth's one-year anniversary, I made this chapter almost twice as long for all you guys' and gals' entertainment and divided the chapter into four main parts.
Ps: I have nothing against all the other holidays or religious occasions. I just used the Christmas/Hanukah/New Year's/other time because it was easier to create a timeline around that.
:3
Please enjoy the show.
Part 1
"So?"
The silver haired young man looked from the thick book on his desk to the older man that had just stepped into the dark, close room, keeping his gaze steady on the man as he parroted, "so?"
"Your spies are in order and are ready to spread the little news over the world?"
The younger man smirked at the inane question and adjusted his glasses, placing a hand on his hip in an arrogant gesture. "Of course they are. Even my lord is going to help."
"They better be." The masked man turned to leave but paused in the light of the doorway right before he stepped out, leaving the medical man with the message that left his with thrilled shivers running down his back, "They better be ready to spread the word tomorrow."
03030303030303030303030303
The next morning is what one would call….uneventful…
At least it was until Iruka had the gall to remember that Christmas/Hanukah/almost-every-other-holiday was almost upon them. So, in a tradition that they had started two years ago, Iruka dragged Kakashi out into the cold morning air to the forest surrounding Konoha.
Tugging the red scarf around his neck tighter in a futile attempt to keep warm, Kakashi followed from a safe distance as the ever-eager Iruka as the brunet hopped from one tree to the next to find the one that would be eventually dubbed 'perfect' for their little home by said little brunet. Watching Iruka bounce around, made him wonder how Iruka got all that energy until he remembered one important little detail.
Iruka taught kids.
It was no surprise that they had rubbed off on him.
He hadn't wanted to go out, if the vampire had to tell the truth, but when the werewolf gave him that energized smile and his eyes glittered with excitement, he couldn't help it when his lips moved automatically to consent. He didn't regret it, though. He could picture Iruka's broken-hearted expression in his mind and he knew that he would have crumbled in the end, ending him up in the same position he was in now.
As he watched Iruka buzz around he couldn't help but smile, seeing how Iruka was so happy to just be doing this one little thing that resembled a normal life away from annoying politics and tiresome work. Normally, Kakashi would have been annoyed to be out in the cold and be wishing to go back inside to hibernate the day away but he didn't mind being outside at the moment and he even felt happy, spending this little amount of time with Iruka in the cold, grey outdoors and hoped briefly that the moment would never end.
Until he noticed one thing in common with each and every tree Iruka admired and gazed at: all the trees Iruka looked at were REALLY big. So big, in fact, that he doubted they'd be able to get one of them in through the front door much less to stand in the living room.
"Uh," the vampire spoke, about to comment on said tree detail, "Iruka?"
"Yeah?" giving Kakashi an inquiring smile, Iruka hopped back into view from behind a tree that he was starting to get fond of which also happened to be at least fifteen feet tall.
"Well," the vampire shivered and continued, "I was thinking that maybe we should get a small tree this year."
A confused look crossed the tan features, "why would we do that?"
Kakashi shifted in his spot and gestured with a nod of his head to the surrounding greenery, "Well, all the trees here are at least half the size of the apartment and I really doubt they'd fit…"
"Hmm," Iruka hummed as he contemplated the new problem that arose, "you do have a point."
With a more reasonable goal now, the duo set out again but with a less than fruitful result.
How it ended: with them staring down at a foot-tall, scrawny twig that could not have even been considered a tree, sticking out of the ground, it's even thinner branches poking out as if ready to stab someone in the eye with little clumps of needles on their end.
The tenacious little thing took the stares that both vampire and werewolf gave it and tried to throw them back with all its little tree fury.
"Is it…?" Kakashi nodded as Iruka trailed off.
"Yup," the older man knelt down and poked at the 'stick's' trunk. "I can't believe it's still alive."
"It's hard to believe it even survived the past winters. I didn't think it would survive this long…." Iruka mused in astonishment as he cocked his head to the side and furrowed his brows, looking in slight confusion at the little tree they had found a while searching for a tree last year…
Contemplating the little, unassuming plant, Kakashi looked up at the brunet, "we could use it…"
"As our tree?" Iruka gave Kakashi a surprised look that turned into one of doubt. "It's hardly big enough…"
"As opposed to all the other trees…" the vampire smiled and gestured with a thumb to the smallest tree in sight (after the twig in front of them) which was at least twenty feet tall.
A weary sigh erupted from the teacher, hating the fact that they both knew Kakashi was right. "All right, then, if you want it so much, you have to pull it out of the ground."
A smirk was given in response as Kakashi cracked his knuckles confidently and shook his hands out, bending down to grasp the twig's trunk, "easy as pie, I'll have this out in no time…"
Without seeing the sly smile Iruka gave, Kakashi gave a sharp tug at the little tree, looking at it in surprise when it didn't budge. He pulled again with greater force only to have the thing stick where it was, giggling bubbling up from behind the struggling man.
"You think this is funny?" Kakashi demanded with his hands on his hips to a chuckling Iruka who tried to supress the laughing by pressing a fist to his lips that barely concealed his smirk.
"No….maybe…..yes," Iruka spurted out through his gasps for air and he turned his back briefly to Kakashi to regain his composure.
Only to have something cold hit the back of his head.
Stunned, Iruka turned slowly and brought a hand to the back of his head only to find that the snow was already melting from his warmth, turning into water that dripped down into the back of his coat. He stared slack-jawed at Kakashi as the silver-haired man whistled and avoided his gaze in a fake-innocence act.
The vampire finally looked at Iruka from the corner of his eye and grinned, earning himself a snowball in the face.
Kakashi shivered and whipped away the snow off his face as a strained, devilish smile painted his features, chuckling unsteadily. "Oh, you are so on."
Iruka only had time to squeak and dash off before Kakashi came running at him full force with a snow ball ready in his palm. The snowball flew and hit a tree as Iruka ducked behind it, gathering snow to form a ball of his own and launching it when he poked out.
More snow flew until they finally found themselves stepping back into their home, shaking as much snow and cold water out of their hair and clothes as possible. The little tree had been uprooted not long ago after an hour of Kakashi tugging and pulling at it and was now placed in a little pot that was found inside the shed in the backyard with dirt that had been dug up in the backyard.
Iruka plugged the cable into the wall and watched as their handiwork came to life in the dim light of the afternoon.
The twig was encircled with a gold garland that had been cut to size and a small cable of white lights found in the window at the corner store on the way home. Exactly three mini ornaments hung from the stick's tiny branches that bent under the light pressure. The thing looked slightly pitiful but seemed amazingly proud for a twig.
Iruka nodded in satisfaction and Kakashi smiled, "looks good."
"Yup," Kakashi conceded as he backed up onto the couch and dropped onto it with another heavy shiver that went unconsciously unnoticed by the werewolf. His clothes were freezing cold, making his pale skin break out into goose bumps whenever they sat on it too long. At this rate, he would be coming down with a cold anytime now.
Glancing at the vampire, the younger man saw how Kakashi's clothes were still damp and dropped down next to him. "You should probably change out of those."
A hand grazed the skin of Kakashi's closest hand and pulled back in shock at how cold it was. "Kakashi, you're freezing!"
Seeing Iruka's wide concerned eyes, the Jōnin smiled and shifted his hand closer to himself. "It's okay-"
"Okay?! Are you kidding me? You're like ice…" the brunet snatched Kakashi's almost blue hands and held it between his own warm palms, heating the pale hands slowly within the embrace of his smaller ones. The vampire coughed in embarrassment and shifted his fingers so that he was holding Iruka's instead, looking up as Iruka did in worry and wonder.
"I said I'm fine," the silver haired man's voice came out soft and husky when their eyes made contact, causing Iruka to blush. Though, he couldn't look away from the taller man's visible eye.
"You don't feel fine to me…" Kakashi smiled fondly as Iruka gave him a small one in return.
Kakashi could feel the warmth in his hands spreading up into his arms and around the rest of his body, doubting that it was because the physical warmth coming from Iruka's hands but because he was holding Iruka's hands and how their eyes didn't part, even when they were less than an inch away from each other. His breath was stolen from him as he felt Iruka's on his lips but he could feel his heart speeding up by just being this close to the little werewolf and how Iruka's eyes never left his, the glittering lights from the tree reflecting in the auburn orbs. He wanted so badly to lick those pink, chapped lips that were parted ever so slightly to tempt him closer. He was pulled closer by them until he felt their noses brush.
He blinked in realization and quickly pulled back, hopping off the couch as he said, "you're right. I'll go take a shower."
Iruka watched as Kakashi fleeted up the stairs and gasped a deep breath full of air when the vampire disappeared. The air had been filled with so much tension Iruka had felt it hard to breathe, his inside screaming at him in promise that Kakashi's lips held the air his body so desired. If the other man hadn't pulled away, Iruka knew he wouldn't have been able to resist the temptation any longer and would've….
I almost kissed Kakashi….with that thought, Iruka blushed hard enough to make a tomato jealous and pressed a fist to lip mouth to try and stop his now wildly speeding heart.
:3;3;3;3;3;3;3;3;3;3;3;3;3;3;3;3
Biting down on his lip to supress the moan that threated to escape, Kakashi was left panting hard against the side of the shower as the hot water kept his heated flesh warm and washed away the residue that came with his steadily falling heart rate. He pushed his limp and heavy body into the direct spray and let the calming flow pour over him until he deemed long enough and twisted the current shut.
I almost kissed Iruka…Kakashi grabbed a towel and scrubbed his face to try get to rid of the hot feeling that was pushing itself back up.
After staying in the same home with that cute werewolf for over two decades, one would think the duo would have gotten over the initial attraction between each other….
Over the past few years, though, that hadn't been the case for them or, at least to Kakashi's knowledge, the vampire hadn't. In fact, it had grown stronger and had changed into something else.
The vampire didn't want to contemplate the feeling though.
He was satisfied with simply watching Iruka from a certain distance and dreaming of the brunet when he slept or touched himself. He didn't want to find that the feeling was something stronger than a friendly bond and to have Iruka reject him over the pretense that the werewolf wasn't ready or he thought Kakashi was just trying to take advantage of him, insert excuse here.
Scrubbing his body dry, he padded down the hall with a towel wrapped around his waist, slipped back into another pair of clothes and made his way downstairs to find the younger man he had just been thinking about crouching by their little tree.
The brunet was dressed in a new pair of plain jeans, a faded red shirt and Kakashi's old leather jacket. Spotting the vampire, Iruka stood and grinned, a blush creeping up his cheeks.
"You're leaving already?" Iruka's smile softened at the question and he looked at the ground as he went to the door and slipped on his shoes.
"Yeah," the werewolf grabbed his scarf from the one of the coat hooks on the wall by the door and wrapped himself up in it. "I want to get there, help them and get back as fast as I can."
With an unseen nod, Kakashi moved next to Iruka as he was pulling on his boots.
"When will you be back?" Iruka finished with his boots and stood up, thinking for a few moments.
"In a few days…maybe a week," the brunet watched as Kakashi nodded, opening his mouth to say something before snapping it shut and opening it again, "could you….um…"
Iruka bit his lip and looked away, forgoing his stupid question in favour shaking his head. After all, Kakashi hadn't seen his to the gates in ages. Why would he want to now?
"Yes?" Iruka glanced up to find the older man had stepped closer, into his personal space, studying his face that was brightening with another blush at their proximity.
"Um, I-it's nothing," reversing until his back touched the door, Iruka glanced away and fumbled for the door knob. "I…should be going."
Once the werewolf had bolted out the door, Kakashi pushed it closed and sighed to himself as he was left alone in their little apartment for the he-couldn't-remember-how-many-ith time. He caught a glimpse of something sparkle in the corner of his eye.
He turned to the gleaming, little twig in the corner of the room and ambled over to it, crouching down next to it and giving it a smirk. "Well, little guy, I hope you're going to like your stay…maybe you could keep me company while Ruka's away."
As he admired the petite tree for a few moments, his eyes caught on the less-assuming thing that stuck out from behind it. Kakashi shifted the tree slightly and slid out a thin box, an envelope sitting on top. He sat down next to the tree and crossed his legs.
The rectangular package was covered in cutesy wrapping paper that had Kakashi furrowing his brows in puzzlement at the sight of the happy, fat penguin cartoons. The vampire took hold of the envelope and flipped it in his fingers, looking it over to find the words "do not open 'til the 25th" written on the top and smoothing his fingers over it until he decided there was a letter inside.
He set the letter down beside him and picked up the box, turning it upside down to see if there was anything written underneath.
There was nothing but he instead found the package to be heavier than he expected. The weight felt all too familiar to him but he couldn't place where he had felt it before.
He shook of the feeling and set the package down.
It seemed as though Iruka had decided to give him a Holidays' present.
The Jōnin's eyes widened.
Wait….did that mean he had to give the werewolf something in return?
Part 2
December 25, 6088 (2 days later)
"Thanks again, Iruka. We really appreciate it that you came." grinning, Iruka scratched the slope of his nose in embarrassment.
"I don't mind at all, Raidō." the vampire smiled too. The werewolf shrugged as he set down another pile of papers into a folder. "Besides, I imagine it to be very difficult to coordinate all the missions by yourself, especially with the wave of excess missions coming in…I have no clue how you managed so far…"
The newly appointed chunin blushed at the compliment and looked away, "thank you, Iruka. It means a lot coming from you."
"Huh?" Iruka looked up in confusion. "What do you mean?"
"Well…you're the founder of Base Nine," Raidō said innocently. The werewolf looked away.
No one knew that except Base Nine members, the Kages and Kakashi….
"Where did you hear that from?" Iruka asked, staring into space at the folder in front of him.
"Um…" the older man paused and thought before shrugging, "I can't remember well but I know it was while on the undercover mission I had last month near Sunagakure…I thought the man was on a mission from another Hidden village and was trying to establish contact with another shinobi. I told the …"
Iruka hummed in response, nodding as he changed topic, "so, how are you and Genma these days?"
The question provoked a happy smile and Raidō started off with about how they were doing amazing and how his partner was going to get promoted soon but Iruka couldn't be any less interested as his thoughts were elsewhere.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOO
Slamming the door open, Iruka flew into his old home and scrambled down into the basement. He hadn't been home since he left with Kakashi almost three decades ago and he hadn't slept since he arrived in the Sixth City.
He hadn't bothered to take off his boots and was leaving a snow trail from the door to the basement as he went straight for the secret room…
Only to find the door to the secret door was wide open.
Iruka slowly made his way to the room and saw the destruction that had come to the small room.
The room had been ransacked. The candles had burned down to puddles of wax from being left there to burn on the desk that had its drawers gutted and thrown to the floor, exposing the nothingness that lay inside. Most of the books that had once sat on the bookcase opposite the desk had been flung to the floor, ripped to shreds while one or two were still on the bookcase.
After pushing through the mounds of books on the floor on his knees, the home's owner concluded that some of the most valuable books in his collection had been taken.
The worst possible solution Iruka had come up with as to how Raidō knew he was Base Nine founder had come into light.
Someone had infiltrated the ANBU cities and was now telling the secret of the cities to the outside world.
With trembling hands, Iruka grasped the desk's edge to steady himself, overcome with a sudden dizziness that threated to make him collapse.
Moments passed and the werewolf finally recovered.
Their secrets had made it all the way to the Wind Country.
Biting his lip, Iruka bolted up both sets of stairs and searched the second floor until he found the thief's point of entry. The window in Kakashi's old room had been broken and pile of snow had accumulated beneath it. The room hadn't been damaged beside the broken window and the light amount of snow on everything as well as all the other rooms on the second floor and Iruka sighed in relief at the miniscule mercy.
He rushed back down the stairs and locked the house back up again, heading for the last home he'd be stopping at in the Sixth City before running back to Konoha that night.
"Huh? Iruka?" Raidō asked as the light from his apartment shone out into the darkness of the night and onto Iruka's face as he gave the vampire a grin smile.
"I'm sorry to bother you, Raidō, but I have to ask you a couple of questions about the man who told you that I founded Base Nine."
The man, as Raidō described, had been thin and sickly pale with greasy black hair that reached down passed his shoulder and had disturbingly unsettling, black eyes to match. With each new piece of information, Iruka's face darkened.
"It turns out that someone had broken into my house and stole a very important book from me that contained information about the hidden village's past and their locations." Seeing Raidō's eyes widen, the brunet continued on. "So, now I think that someone's passing information about us onto the outside world."
"Do you think it reached the Council?" the other brunet worried, voicing Iruka's own worries.
"I hope not," standing from the kitchen table, Iruka made his way to the door and stepped outside. He turned back to Raidō one last time on the doorstep. "Hey, could I ask you one last thing?"
"What is it, Ru?" said teacher smiled sadly at the vampire's concerned expression.
"Could you send someone to fix the window on the second floor of my apartment?"
Kakashi stared. Kakashi stared very hard. Kakashi stared very hard at the box. Kakashi stared very hard that the box sitting on the table.
It was mocking him. He could tell. It mocked him with its happy wrapping paper that sing-songed, "I know something you don't~"
The letter was mocking him too.
Finally admitting defeat to his curiosity, Kakashi snatched the letter off the table and ripped it open. Ha! Take that you stupid folds of paper! Kakashi was the conqueror of papers! The champion of-
The vampire felt his heart skip a beat as he read the letter.
Dear Kakashi,
I'm writing this letter in the event I'm not there when you open your gift which is probably the case if you're reading this.
First off, I've wanted to tell you for a while now that I know. I know how you applied directly to the Hokage to become a shinobi. I know how you passed the genin test. I even know how you passed the chūnin and the Jōnin exams. I am wondering why you didn't tell me but I'll ask you that myself when I get back.
Anyway, that's not the only thing I have to say.
It's about the box. Please don't get mad at me when you open it. It's just…I bumped into Ko when he was coming home and he said that you stopped at your old home and….well, I couldn't help it when I smelled something different coming from your room…
I'm sorry for going into your room without your permission but I hope you won't get mad at me, knowing that I took this.
-Ruka
Kakashi had to reread the letter over again at least four times before the words started to sink in and he let a breathless chuckle escape when the paper fell from his fingers to the tabletop.
So, Iruka knew all along…
He felt grateful he didn't have to tell the teacher but…
Iruka still wanted to know why he didn't tell him.
His insides cowered at the thought of giving his house-mate his pitiful explanation.
He shook off the thought and set that hurdle aside for later, glancing towards the box sitting in front of him and feeling his heart clench.
He knew, in his heart, what it was but pushed the hope aside as he slowly tore the paper, revealing a beautifully smooth, mahogany case that gleamed in the kitchen light, its golden hinges and fasteners reflecting and catching his eye.
The vampire unknowingly held his breath as he flipped up each catch and lifted it open, able to breathe no more or less when he saw what lay inside.
It was the white light saber.
It was in the same sheath and had the same hilt but it looked almost brand new. The old, weather-worn sheath had been polished and the hilt had been cleansed of dust and other grime until it seemed like new again. The saber felt warm and new in his hands but it still kept that familiarity about it.
Gliding the weapon out of its scabbard, Kakashi's breath caught again as the blade was exposed. It wasn't new, Kakashi could tell by the way it almost gave off a glow, an ethereal light that gave the weapon its name but Kakashi remembered how rusted and broken it had been. The weapon's new blade must have been forged from its old one to give off such a glow.
Kakashi stared at it slack-jawed for the longest time before he snapped back to the present.
Crap, now he really needed to get something for Iruka!
:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P
Asuma hopped down from the rooftop and paused at the front door momentarily before knocking. After waiting for a few minutes than necessary, the bearded man knocked again but with a more successful result.
The door flew open, revealing a half-hazard-looking Kakashi dressed in an old pair of pajama bottoms, plain tee and an open sweater despite it being five o'clock in the evening. Kakashi frowned and furrowed his brows, narrowing his eyes, "you're not Iruka."
"I hope not," the werewolf snorted before giving the other man a raised eyebrow. "You okay?"
"Huh?" Kakashi looked down at himself. "Oh, I guess I forgot to get dressed…"
Frowning, Asuma shook of the act of oddness and went back to the task at hand, "the Hokage got an urgent message from the Sixth and it turns out Iruka's coming home a little earlier than planned. I thought you might want to know."
Kakashi nodded but kept his eyes narrowed, "how'd you…"
"I was there when he got the transmission," with a nod from the vampire, Asuma went on, "it seems as though someone broke into your old apartment and stole some important info on the Hidden Villages."
"When will he be back?"
A shrug, "he left right after he sent messaged us. He should be back by midnight at the latest,"
Kakashi nodded again, thanking Asuma before the werewolf left with a nod and closing the front door. He was thinking over the new information as he padded up the stairs, sliding his hands into his pockets to find a small slip of paper sitting in one.
He pulled it out to find one side inked with the ANBU symbol on it while the other read, "locker 36. 7 o'clock. Don't be late."
Part 3
His breath came out in short puffs of cold smoke as he pushed on faster through the foliage, determined to make it to Konoha regardless if the sun set before or not. His legs and lungs were burning from the high exertion over such a short period of time but he didn't dare stop to rest for fear that he probably wouldn't have the will to stand again after.
The sun went down not long after but he pushed on and kept running, ignoring the trails bellow him and focusing on going in a straight line from the Sixth to Konoha. The moon was high in the dark sky, shedding enough light through the branches of the trees for Iruka to see where he was going.
The night was in full swing by the time the werewolf caught a glimpse of the shadowy gates, sighing in relief through his puffs of breath and increasing his speed further.
Chachachachachachachachachac hachachachachachchachachacha cha~
Kakashi felt like a dummy.
He had been searching for hours for something to give Iruka, something that would make the brunet smile or bring happy tears to his eyes like his present had with Kakashi (the smile, of course, not the tears). After looking almost all over town for something even remotely resembling a good present, the vampire turned up empty handed. There was nothing that seemed…
Good enough.
What do you get your house-mate/crush?
He really liked Iruka, a fact that was undeniable, and he wanted his present to come from the heart.
For past Christmases, the duo had never really given each other anything and Kakashi hadn't even thought of giving Iruka something for any special occasion until this year.
But now Iruka had gotten him something and he didn't want to seem like an ungrateful pig.
It was almost six and Kakashi had nothing yet to offer.
Except if he went with his original plan, of course….
:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:
"Kakashi!"
A huffing and puffing Kotetsu sprinted up to him, using his werewolf speed to flash into his gaze. The man's hair was more wild than usual and his eyes were alight with a strange sort of anticipation, the fact he was still in uniform did not go unnoticed by Kakashi. The vampire frowned, "what's up, Ko?"
"Well, I was on my way to tell the Hokage but I found you first so I thought I might as well tell you…" the younger man glanced at his watch before turning his gaze back to Kakashi. "You know how Aota and I have gate duty tonight, right? Heh, turns out we spotted a fast-moving figure approaching the village only a minute or two ago. We sprung out the binoculars and who do we see but little Ruka…"
Kakashi's lips turned up into a smile and his eyes flashed with relief, gladness and something else Kotetsu couldn't associate with except worry but the young man brushed it off, smirking in satisfaction that he got the answer he had been hoping for.
Something was off and Kakashi dropped the sigh that went through his whole body at hearing about Iruka's early return but something in the way Kotetsu watched him made Kakashi wary to react.
"What do you want Ko?" the werewolf pulled an innocent face.
"I have no idea what you're talking about-"
"You were watching for my reaction, what's up?" with a narrowed glared from Kakashi, Kotetsu raised his hands in a defensive position and grinned.
"Well, Aoba and I were chatting about how you and our little Ruru were getting pretty…" with a sly smirk Kotetsu nudge the vampire in the ribs and wiggled his brows, "close…"
With an exasperated sigh Kakashi quickly switched the subject, "so, you're telling me Iruka's not back yet?"
"Ah~!" all too late, Kakashi realized his mistake as Ko's face lit up with comprehension, "so you do like him!"
"Of course I like him, I live with him," Kakashi retorted.
"Yeah, but you like-like him too!" Kotetsu urged.
"I do not." Kakashi argued.
"Oh, yeah? Then tell me why, when you changed subject, that certain subject was Ru?" Kotetsu backed.
"I was concerned!" Kakashi responded.
"You're blushing!" Kotetsu pointed out.
"Am not!" Kakashi snapped.
"Because you like-like him!" Kotetsu grinned.
"No, I don't!"
"Yes, you do!"
"No, I don't!"
"Yes, you do!"
"No, I don't!"
"Yes, you do!"
"I love him!"
Both jaws dropped. Kakashi quickly slapped a hand over his mouth and turned away, leaving just as another called.
"Ah! Kakashi! Kotetsu!" a dark-haired man in a shinobi uniform hopped down from a rooftop between the slack-jawed werewolf and the vampire who was trying to hide his flushed cheeks. Aoba smiled sheepishly. "I just wanted to inform you that Iruka was just spotted beyond the city gates and will be here shortly. For real this time."
!Pleh!
Boots trudged down the halls, echoing off the walls as Iruka, flanked by Izumo and Asuma, hurried towards the Hokage's office. He dropped the formality of knocking on the door, ripping it open and hastened to the Hokage's desk. Notting how there were a number of other people standing by the high man's desk, Iruka glided through the path the quiet group made for him and gave a small, less-than-formal nod to the old man.
"Iruka," Sarutobi nodded and Iruka licked his lips nervously.
"I'm sorry returning from my mission before it was completed but I have some urgent business that needs to be discussed right away." After a pointed look to the people in the room from the Hokage, Iruka shook his head, "they can stay."
This afternoon, I learned from a reliable source that someone had told them about the Hidden Cities while they were in a small town ruled by the Council. I can home to find my old house had been broken into and it seemed as though it had been done some time ago." Iruka turned to the people in the room. There were multiple uniformed Anbu in the room like Panda and Puma as well as a couple of non-uniformed ones such as Ibiki and Asuma. Izumo, Kotetsu, Aoba, and other shinobi stood amongst them, even Kakashi was there as Iruka could see from the fluff of white hair poking out from the crowd.
Aoba stepped forward casually, raising a hand to speak, "how do you know someone broke into your house? Was there any signs of forced entry?"
"Yes, the window upstairs in Ka-the guest bedroom was open and I found a room downstairs to be ransacked." Iruka answered in a flat tone, glancing in Kakashi's direction to find the older man looking pensive. "There was nothing missing except one book, a book that contained the names of all the Base Nine members as well as the history of ANBU."
"And how does this affect us?" the group turned on the young shinobi who had spoken from his place in the crowd.
"Because," a voice called from a corner of the room. "That information can act as a piece of proof to sway the Council to take action against us."
Everyone spun around to watch as the small shadow in the corner spoke, finally coming into the light once he finished his version of the explanation.
Sasuke stepped into view, giving the whole group a blank stare.
"You're not supposed to be in here," someone from the groups said but the youngest man didn't respond facially.
"I graduated from the academy last summer. So, I am, by law, a shinobi and have just as much right to be here as any of you do." The young Uchiha said simply and crossed his arms in a defensive position. The room set the issue aside for now and went back to the present matter.
"So, what do you think we should do about this, Iruka?" Asuma asked from his place next to Ibiki.
After thinking about that very question on the way back, Iruka nodded and quickly went into his plan. "I think a small team should follow the trail of rumors to their source and stop whoever's trying to reveal us before word reaches the council."
The Hokage spoke up, "yes, we'll use that plan to find the culprit. Does anyone here volunteer to take the mission?"
"Since I'm the one who initiated it, I'll go," Iruka confirmed.
"Good. You'll choose another shinobi to assist you-preferably one of high rank-and you'll set out for Suna before the week ends." The Hokage waved them off and the group flowed out of the room, Iruka shutting the door behind him as he left, turning to find a handsome shinobi waiting for him.
A uniformed Kakashi stood against the wall opposite the door, clad in the usually shinobi attire except for a distinct blade that was strapped on his back, between his shoulder blades, causing Iruka's cheeks to flush at the sight. For one reason, Kakashi was both infinitely too gorgeous for his own good and the other being because he had the White Light Sabre and shinobi uniform which indicated he had read Iruka's letter.
"I'm sorry," Iruka paused, surprised and confused at the words that left Kakashi's mouth.
"What are you apologizing for?" At seeing the puzzled expression on the brunet's face and hearing his question, Kakashi pushed off the wall and closed the distance between them, scratching anxiously at the back of his head.
"Well, I didn't-"
"Iruka-sensei." A voice called from down the hall and both shinobi turned to find the littlest Uchiha standing a few feet away, arms crossed with a look of determination on his face. With a sorry smile to Kakashi, Iruka went over to the boy, listening when the boy spoke resolutely. "I'm coming with you on your mission."
"Sasuke, I'm sorry but I can't bring you with me." Iruka knelt down to come level with Sasuke.
"I'm a genin, I have the right." The young man stood his ground.
"Yes, but then you'd be going against the Hokage's orders. He asked for me to take with him a high-ranking shinobi." Sasuke stayed silent after those words and let his head fall slightly, looking down at the floor with sad eyes. Iruka sighed, "I know that this might have to do with Itachi but there's little chance that we'd come in contact with him."
"You're going to ask him to come aren't you?" the change of subject almost gave Iruka whiplash, catching him off guard and causing him to stutter.
"I….I don't know, it really depends, Sasuke." With one last nod, the boy spun away and left on quick and certain feet. A moment passed as Iruka digested the situation and shook off the guilt that pooled up at having to turn his student down, standing and turning only to bump into a solid chest.
Iruka gave an unmanly squeak and almost jumped away in surprise until Kakashi grabbed the brunet's shoulders and chuckled. The blush that tainted Iruka's cheeks only served to make him smile more. The werewolf scowled at him and looked away, rubbing at the mark across his nose as he hissed, "don't do that!"
"Don't do what?" Kakashi grinned as he playfully poked at Iruka's side, causing the teacher to squirm away. Iruka pouted at him from what he had deemed a safe distance (a foot away) and cuffed the vampire's arm with an impish smile pulling at his lips.
"Don't sneak up on me like that." The vampire full out laughed and poked Iruka in the side again, making him yelp and bounce away as he whined jokingly. "And stop poking me!"
Kakashi's face went suddenly serious and he looked away, "I'm sorry."
"Huh?" the werewolf lifted a brow in confusion. "Kakashi, I'm not really mad that about the pokes…"
"You know I'm not talking about the poking," the Jōnin smiled good-humouredly but it fell just as quickly off his lips as it had come. "I'm sorry for not telling you. It's just…I didn't want anyone to now at first because I didn't want people thinking I was just becoming a shinobi out of duty to the village and I was able to keep it a secret for a long time."
The vampire shifted from one foot to the other as he ran his fingers through his hair. "Over time, though, I didn't feel like I needed to hide it anymore and I was going to tell you first, Ruka, but…I got teamed up with Anko on a mission and, well, you know how much of a blabber mouth she is."
"Oh," a little smile made its way onto Iruka's face as he felt both relief and embarrassment, his face flushing from the neck up as he said softly, "well…I-I really don't mind that you didn't tell me 'til now…"
Kakashi grinned happily at how smooth that had gone, cheering on the inside that Iruka didn't hate him for keeping it a secret. His face went into one of tenderness as he shrugged off a strap and retrieved the White Chakra Sabre from its hold, slipping the strap back on and holding the weapon delicately in front of him to show how the sheath had been exchanged for a brand-new one that he bought that evening as he looked up graciously at Iruka. "When I was younger, my father was everything to me but ever since he passed away I haven't gotten close to anyone for long enough to compare it to the bond between my father and me. So, I want to pass this onto you."
The blade was passed from Kakashi's hands to Iruka's uncertain ones. The werewolf stared at the weapon in panic and alarm, "Kakashi…. I-I can't accept this!"
"Yes, you can," Kakashi gave him a fond look that froze his mouth. "You're my best friend, Iruka."
The world that had been built on an emotion that Iruka couldn't grasp while Kakashi was talking seemed to crumble beneath the brunet's feet at that one sentence. He was supposed to be grateful to be Kakashi's best friend, right? Then why did he feel so lousy about it? True, he felt so special to receive such an amazing and heart-felt gift because he was the vampire's friend but…Was it because he had hoped to be something more than a friend to Kakashi?
The ANBU swallowed the feeling and stuttered out a soft thank you instead, giving him a strained smile.
A gloomy mood had settled upon the situation and had turned it into something…awkward. Kakashi's smile had turned more into a cringe and Iruka's smile had faded, turning his attention and muddled thoughts onto something that had become very interesting on his boots, holding the sabre with gentle care. The silence was starting to become suffocating and the air between the two shinobi was thickening with more and more uncertainty that emanated from the two of them. The feeling grew and turned into something else until it reached the brink of both their capacities.
Thankfully, the two were saved by a gruff voice that rose from the pair of doors down the hall. "Don't you have somewhere to be, Kakashi?"
Turning his head, said vampire gave the Hokage a grateful but confused look that changed to just plain grateful after a few seconds.
By his side, Iruka gave a confused 'huh?' and Kakashi flashed him another smile. "Sorry, I got to run but I'll tell you about it later!"
With a two fingered wave thrown over his shoulder, Kakashi strolled off down the hall, feeling Iruka's confused stare following him until he rounded the corner and setting himself to the task of finding the elusive locker 36.
Iruka was left in the middle of the hall, feeling a lot like he did after his and Kakashi's almost-kiss right before he left, abandoned and confused.
52…..51…..Kakashi frowned. He checked the number on the little slip of paper in his pocket again and glanced back at the number on the last locker in the row. He scratched in head in confusion then flicked his gaze down the rest of the hall, seeing nothing left in the hall save the lockers that went into the hundred numbers on the other wall and the windowless door to another room.
Wait a minute…. That was the same door Iruka had popped into to change out of his ANBU uniform, Kakashi recalled from his first evening in Konoha. It was the ANBU changing room. There was bound to be lockers in there, right?
Checking to make sure no one was coming down the hall, the vampire slunk his way over to the door and tested the knob to find it turned smoothly under his grasp. He gave the hall one last look before slipping inside the room and shutting the door silently behind him.
Despite the room being empty of people Kakashi felt like eyes were watching him as he studied the rows of lockers that lined the walls and the door to his left that probably lead to either a storage room or a room for secret files that only ANBU had access to.
Kakashi turned his attention back to the lockers and scanned the numbers on them 'til his eyes reached the number he had been looking for along the far end of the left wall. He cautiously made his way over to the locker and pulled it open, the locker neither rusty nor creaking as it swung out.
Inside, a white and red face stared up at him from the shelf at eye-height as well as the purple-tinted armour and black pants that the mask was sitting on. A little note much like the first one had been placed right in front of the mask, the ANBU symbol facing up at him. Kakashi read the little paper and felt his chest swell with accomplishment and pride as his lips turned up at the corners, his worry of Kotetsu telling anyone his little 'secret' floated away.
He dropped the note back onto the shelf and grabbed a hold of the mask with gentle hands, noticing how light it was as he smooth his fingers over the front.
The vampire was about to check out the armour when he noticed another note that had been hiding under the mask. Once it was read, Kakashi chuckled to himself, understanding now how they got his measurements despite the fact he only went to Hitome for his Jōnin uniforms.
"I knew you'd go far, sonny! Good job! -H"
After neatly folding the uniform and clothes into the backpack at the bottom of the locker, Kakashi delicately placed the mask on top and noted how his new codename sounded good to his ears. He slid the pack on, snatched the papers from the locker and shut it closed quietly before exiting, stopping at a garbage can along the way to throw out Hitome's note and the official one that read,
"Congratulations, Hound."
Cha~! I finished! I finished! I feel so good about myself now! 3
I even finished this early (October 4th to be precise)…..
Already working on the next chap!
What will happen next? Who will Iruka pick to go on the mission with him? Will Kotetsu keep his lips sealed about Kakashi's confession or will he 'kiss and tell'? Who are the mysterious people plotting against the Hidden Cities? Will Kakashi ever get up the courage to ask Iruka out or vice versa? Will I ever get over my inability to use glue properly?!
The next chaps will be even more exciting and action-packed with TENSION of all sorts coming up! ;P
The heat gets hotter on Kakashi's first ANBU mission!
Next time: Iruka's decision!
Please review :3