I don't know. I just wanted to write some KakaRuka (is that the ship-name?) fluff.

IruKashi. KakUka (that's funny in Norwegian 'cause of dick-jokes).

It had all happened so fast. In one moment, the fascinatingly handsome teacher had been sighing heavily as the children pestered him to climb onto the roof of the schoolhouse to catch the poor, clearly terribly disoriented cat that had somehow gotten stuck up there.

Then, in the next moment, after a climb worthy of a seasoned rock-climber, he was stretching out on top of the three-story building, easing in on the obviously terrified creature, ready to catch it. There was an unmistakably bothered furrow knitted between his equally silvery eyebrows, so over this whole situation, that could be seen all the way from the ground.

...it really looked like he was going to make it.

Honestly, that was the only reason why Iruka hadn't done more to stop him.

The cat had startled as the silver-haired man misstepped on the roof tiles, making one of the clays break loose and fall off the building, pulverizing into a cloud of cinnamon-colored dust on the asphalt beneath them with a loud clatter.

At this point, the man, Kakashi was his name Iruka remembered (he was hard to forget) , was crouched down, ready to grab ahold of the red-haired kitty.

Just then, the cat jumped, hissing loudly and plunging onto its rescuer's face for just a moment, before using the (obnoxiously beautiful) face as leverage, pushing off, jolting forward and landed effortlessly at the branch of the large three, hanging about seven feet away from the roof.

Some of the children cheered, some laughed and pointed chubby fingers snootily. Iruka himself felt slightly stupid for not really considering that if it had made it up there in the first place, it probably also had a path down.

Another brick fell from the roof, gaining Iruka's attention. Kakashi was rubbing his face (that cat had probably gotten him pretty good) and was now trying to solidify his stance on the unstable surface he was on more securely, while being temporarily blinded by the kitty's claws.

That was when it all had turned to absolute shit.

Really, Iruka should have anticipated this. He was usually so cautious, taking way too many precautions all the time, up to a point where he had been called into the principal's office to address his "anxiety-issue".

Seriously though- he simply preferred to be on the safer side. He couldn't help it that, maybe, he put a bit too much thought into how each and everything around him could go to hell.

...he kinda wished he had done that today. That his urge to see the athletic figure of the high school teacher move like that hadn't overcome his fixation on safety.

He used to be an eagle scout goddammit.

Well, it went just about as well as one might think being nearly 45 feet up in the air while being attacked by an adventure-seeking (and reasonably nervous) feline would.

A faint yelp was heard, then, a muffled thud.

Oh, fu… heck.

"Good morning," an unfamiliar voice stated behind Iruka as he stood by his teachers-desk with a steaming cup of green tea while looking through today's syllabus one last time before the day started.

He turned around swiftly, confused-looking and unprepared for anyone approaching him this early in the morning.

The first thing Iruka noticed about the stranger standing in the doorway was that he was wearing a surgical mask. That wasn't really that unusual, but it was neither flue nor allergy season, which did make it a little bit strange.

Then, it was his gravity-defying hair. The man didn't look old, probably around the same age as himself, give or take a year or two, but it had a clear silvery grey color. It didn't look as if his mane was greying prematurely, more as if it was simply supposed to be that way.

He had a large scar, running from his hairline, over his left eye and down into the surgical mask. It was larger than the one Iruka bore across his nose, more angry-looking. His own visible scar had faded with time. It was still very noticeable, a trademark really. But this man's scar seemed… more profound, maybe?

It was probably because his eye seemed to be permanently shut by it, possibly indicating blindness or a complete lack of a left eye, adding to his mysterious dark gaze. His milky skin was way paler than Iruka's own tan, which would naturally make the pinkness of his scar stand out more.

All in all, Iruka decided he was drop-dead gorgeous and why the hell had he never noticed this man before and what was he doing here now?

"Are you okay?" the man asked, looking back down the hallway uncertainly, before settling back at him. "I might have the wrong room, but… the e-mail said 104, that's here, right?"

Recognition dawned upon Iruka.

"Oh! Yes, yes, that's here. You must be…" Shit, he couldn't remember his name.

"Kakashi Hatake," the man filled in with a monotone voice. His one visible eye was half-lidded and looked almost lethargic. If Iruka had been more of an assuming asshole, he would think that he was already bored. But, he wasn't an assuming asshole.

Well, tried not to be.

"Yes, of course. From Konoha High School. I'm Iruka Umino." He had only read the e-mail about the visit from his sixth-graders next year's high school teacher the night before, minutes before he went to bed. He had completely forgotten about it until now.

Iruka walked over to meet the fellow teacher with a handshake. As their hands touched, he remarked how callused Kakashi's firm grip felt. Not like a regular school teacher's palm usually would be; soft and unmarred, the only hint of strain being a slightly swollen writing-bump along the third knuckle of their middle finger.

It did make sense, though. The man's physique seemed impeccable. Even in his modest dressing with a black, slightly oversized sweater and black dress-pants, he radiated health (hot body) and an active lifestyle, even if his sluggish gaze told him something very different (which he wouldn't dwell upon as the unassuming not-asshole he was).

The bell chimed loudly, startling Iruka out of his admittedly hungry musings, calling the kids into their first class of the day.

"I don't really wanna make too much of fuzz over this," Kakashi confessed sheepishly, scratching at his neck. "So, if I could just sit by and watch this first class, I'd appreciate it immensely."

Kids began to storm into the classroom and filling the empty desks one by one while shooting curious glances towards the new presence in their homeroom, switching between talking loudly and whispering amongst themselves.

"Don't you want to at least present yourself?" Iruka remarked, wondering how his students would react to an unfamiliar man simply just being there, without so much as an introduction.

Kakashi's shoulder's slumped exasperatedly, a heavy sigh escaping his lips behind his mask while uttering a tired "Maaa," as he submitted to Iruka's point.

Slightly annoyed, Iruka decided that maybe he had been right about his initial assumptions about the attractive teacher's demeanor.

The class finally settled in, and Iruka demanded their attention with a loud clap.

"Good morning everyone," he declared chipperly, instantly receiving twenty-five sleepy 'good morning teachers' in return.

"Today, we have a visitor, as you may have noticed," he turned towards Kakashi, who was standing passively with both hands tucked deep down into the pockets of his dark slacks. "Why don't you tell the class a little about who you are?"

Kakashi shot him a tired glance, yet again scratching his neck (Iruka wondered if it might be a nervous tick), before exhaling joylessly.

"I'm Kakashi Hatake. I'll be your teacher next semester when you graduate and start high school," he stated dimly.

When Iruka didn't take over, and the children kept watching him expectantly, he added, "I'll just stay here today to observe you. You really don't have to pay me any mind."

Iruka was unimpressed by Kakashi's lack of charisma. Though, it wasn't so much a lack of charisma, as it was an unwillingness to exude it.

A single brave hand raised into the air. Iruka had expected as much.

Kakashi nodded reluctantly towards the spiky-haired blonde, giving him permission to speak (not that this particular kid ever needed it).

"What's wrong with your eye?"

Iruka pinched the bridge of his nose, embarrassed on his foster kid's behalf (he really needed to talk to him again about personal boundaries). He cast a timid glance towards the abrasive teacher, dreading his reaction.

"Which one?" Kakashi answered densely, while really selling his mock confusion.

Naruto made motions with both of his hands, acting as if he was writing before settling on his answer, "Left one."

Kakashi only stared at him for a long moment, before answering his question. "Can't find it."

Immediately, Naruto opened his mouth to object, but Kakashi ignored him, pointing to another student, suddenly seeming very invested in answering another question.

"How old are you?" a blonde girl, Ino, asked, blushing visibly and receiving giggles and small nudges of elbows from her neighboring peers.

Kakashi only blinked for a moment, before turning towards Iruka.

"I'm done," he declared decisively, and stifled away, settling on an elongated desk pushed towards the back wall of the room.

Honestly, Iruka didn't blame him after the awkward nature of the questions from his students. He felt a little embarrassed that none of them had asked him anything about next year's curriculum or what to expect as they transitioned from middle school to high school.

So, he thanked Kakashi for his input and continued his class as usual.

Once again, the bell rang. This time to symbolize a five-minute break between one class to another. Most of his students got up to head towards their lockers to fetch their textbooks for the next class.

Iruka peered across the room, eyes settling on Kakashi who seemed deeply submerged in a binder he had retrieved from his satchel early into the previous class, and didn't even seem to notice that the period was over.

Slowly, he started to make his way over to him. After all, even if his class could sometimes seem kinda… thick-skulled , he was enthusiastic to hear what the other teacher had to say.

He approached the dark-clad man, standing a few feet from him for a couple of seconds, waiting for him to notice him.

'He must really be deep in thought not to notice that he was standing there' , Iruka thought and came closer. Still, he got no reaction from the other man. Curious, he stretched his neck out to peer down at what had made the other man so immersed that he didn't notice the world around him.

It had to be his notes about the students, or, if he was as uninterested as he previously had expressed, some high school education program, or…

"Are you reading porn?" he barked out, making the silver-haired man jump, shutting the folder and looking up, straight into Iruka's incredulous gaze.

Iruka tried his best not to melt away into the steely, dark eyes.

Again, Kakashi's arm bent, merging into rainy cloud-colored hair, rubbing at his nape. His eyes, even his left one, crinkled, hinting that he was smiling timidly behind the mask.

"Maa, Iruka-san, of course not. This is a literary masterpiece," he explained sheepishly and pulled the orange book out of the folder.

Iruka watched him, then the cover of the book, arms crossed over his chest and a scrutinizing curve to his eyebrows.

"Icha-Icha paradise?" Iruka questioned incredulity.

"Sure," Kakashi shrugged.

Before Iruka could press the matter any further, one of his students came running into the classroom, alarm written all over his plump, flushed face.

"Iruka-sensei!" he gasped, panting loudly.

Immediately, Iruka forgot all about Kakashi and (his handsome face) possible pornographic material and walked automatically several steps closer to the boy.

"What is it, Choji-kun?" he asked urgently.

"You need to come," he said, shifting his attention to Kakashi, pointing at him. "You too!"

Before any of the teachers could respond, Choji disappeared out of the room, leaving them with no choice but to follow along if they wanted to know what was wrong.

So, that was what had left Iruka in this strange situation. A cat apparently stuck on the roof, a janitor on vacation and his own unwillingness to call the fire department for such a seemingly insignificant cause.

He was currently held up in the ER's waiting room, waiting for any word about a man he had hardly traded more than a few sentences about porn with.

There were no next of kind apparently, and the emergency contact that was listed in Kakashi's files was supposedly impossible to get in touch with. Iruka had tried to suggest that they could contact the school he was employed at, but by the time they had gotten around to do that, school was done for the day anyway.

Iruka felt stupid for being there if he was being honest. If Kakashi had hit his head (which of course he had, falling off a freaking three-story building) , he probably wouldn't even remember him if he woke up while he was there. It had just… seemed cruel to let the ambulance take him away all on his own.

He had looked so broken, lying in a bloodied heap on the ground with limbs bent in all different directions, a puddle of crimson forming around him- Iruka had to yell at the kids with his angry-voice to keep them back and prevent them from seeing him.

At least Naruto was there to keep him company. The kid might have many flaws; he was loud, impossibly unpredictable and sometimes down-right obnoxious, but he was fun to hang around. Also, he was his, and had been for several years now.

The paperwork might not be in order yet, but it was going to be someday. Even if Iruka was still fairly young and without a partner, he had had Naruto since infanthood. That had to count for something.

"Maaa, what's taking so long?" Naruto complained, nearly sliding off his chair and trashing around restlessly.

"You can go home if you want," Iruka told him calmly. "I can call Genma or Raidou to pick you up-"

"No," Naruto groaned, finally gliding all the way down to the floor and established himself, lying on his back on the dirty linoleum, watching Iruka from beneath.

"Kay," Iruka shrugged and settled back on the uncomfortable plastic chair.

"You have a double-chin from this angle," Naruto muttered mindlessly. Before Iruka could defend himself (he had been busy with work and his after-school activities an also he was the one who would only eat ramen every single day of the week), a doctor entered the room and called out his name.

Iruka's eyes widened, and Naruto sat up.

"Yeah, I'm here. How is he?" Iruka asked tensely and stepped over Naruto to meet the doctor. Naruto also got up, following his dad to the elderly man.

"He's stable, but in critical condition," the doctor explained. "There's major damage to his hips and legs. There's also damage to his spine, but after the surgery and some physical therapy, that will hopefully heal."

For some reason, his words seemed meaningless to Iruka. Maybe it was because he didn't really know Kakashi, but it still kinda frightened him. He considered himself as an above-average empath, but this felt as if he heard about the injuries on the news without any sort of personal relationship to the person who had sustained them.

Really, that was how it was, wasn't it?

Kakashi wouldn't benefit from him hearing this. He wouldn't benefit from Iruka knowing about the extent of his injuries or how they were planning on treating them. Likely, they wouldn't even meet after this.

Well, actually they probably would as long as he would finally be able to adopt Naruto; this would be his teacher, after all.

...assuming he would ever be able to return to work.

Iruka almost felt selfish as relief flushed over him. It was a strange sensation. He felt better because he finally felt really bad that a man that was supposed to follow his son through school for the next three years was seriously injured to a point where he might not be able to do that after all.

Oh God, he should probably get therapy because this feeling seemed weird as fu… heck!

Iruka suddenly became aware that the doctor was talking again.

"...fortunate that he's alive at all. If he'd landed on his head, he would never have survived."

Oh… oh, wow. The reality of the situation suddenly seemed all that much more real, and he realized that he might not have understood the severity of this fall until now- again, he felt slightly relieved to get an assurance that his empathy was intact and that the lack of compassion had really just been a lack of understanding.

"Really, he's lucky he survived long enough for the ambulance to arrive. All though, lucky could quite possibly be a gross overstatement. He'll have a tough and painful road ahead of him. I hope you've braced yourself."

Iruka realized that the doctor spoke as if he actually knew Kakashi, and he realized that they probably didn't know. Didn't know he wasn't his next of kind, nor his emergency contact.

Also, a startling realization hit him. Kakashi didn't actually have anyone, did he?

The man they couldn't get a hold of was supposedly an uncle, but that seemed to be about it. Could it be that Kakashi actually didn't have a single person that could help him heal?

Iruka realized that he knew practically nothing about this man except that he was a high school teacher, did some kind of handy work, was a good climber and had a love for erotic novels that mostly bored housewives shared with him.

Still, he felt a responsibility.

He decided then and there.

No matter how long it would take to pick a hole in that impossibly thick shield Kakashi Hatake had put up between himself and the rest of the world, Iruka was going to be the one to breach through.

This was so much fun to write. I'm normally not big on ships- I don't dislike it or anything, I just don't really focus on it when writing. But lately, I've been really into Kakashi and Iruka stories, and I've been wanting to try to write one and this is what I ended up with.

There will be more chapters!

And also, congratulation to me for producing yet another multiple chapter fic when I have so many others that I'm not even close to finishing! I'll try to update at least once a month, as that is the rhythm I've seen to settle into with most of my other fics.