Guy was a victim. He was the victim of a lie, of a gross misunderstanding, of rumors breeding and twisting to the point of insanity. Guy wasn't the bad guy or the scary unknown, he was the victim who was being toyed with against his will.
That realization was the only thing that kept Iruka from cranking Anko's chakra sensor, which he now knew was nothing of the sort, up to kill mode and hiding under his bed. The thought of leaving his apartment, settling down to wait somewhere alone, and then intentionally interacting with an Anbu made him want to run to his bathroom and dry-heave some more. But Guy wasn't just Anbu, he was that solitary jounin who had been lecturing a training post because he didn't have a human sparring partner to talk to. If the man was the type to hunt a person down because someone told him that person was interested in him, he probably didn't have many people interested in him. Raidou should be ashamed, telling the man that lie with nothing to go on but his own faulty assumptions. If Guy was the sort to hold a grudge it shouldn't be difficult to make sure that grudge was against Raidou and not him. Iruka was a victim in this just the same as Guy was.
And that was infuriating. Righteous indignation got him out of the apartment.
All he had done was enter the bar. He had as much right to do that as any other chunin. He should have controlled his temper, so he deserved to be the butt of a nasty rumor for the way he had scared that man at the bar. But that was the only thing he had done wrong. He hadn't started the rumor about Anko. Yes, he had supposedly fed into it, but they had just had a small meal together. It wasn't even a proper restaurant, just the dango stand. People did that all the time without it causing rampant speculation. He certainly wasn't responsible for that scene at the hospital. If that scene was the reason Kurenai was suddenly asking around about him, and if she really was Kakashi's friend, then that was on Kakashi. As for Raidou, if the man was that quick to meddle and spread gossip then Iruka was glad he had never taken another mission with him. Having Genma gossip about him was bad enough. At least Genma didn't drag complete strangers into it.
He stopped on a rooftop between the market and the tower. He should have asked Anko what sort of Anbu work Guy did, or at least where in the village Iruka was most likely to find him. Finding the man himself would be so much better than waiting to be found. He dropped into a crouch and watched the people below as he considered his options.
The anger that had been sustaining him was already starting to fade. Usually that was a good thing, that he had tamed his flashes of temper enough to keep them brief. But that just made the fury more intense when it did escape. And while anger and awkward humor were preferable to fear and depression, they were blatant self-soothing methods that he shouldn't be displaying at his age. He shouldn't be experiencing them at all. He was a competent chunin. He was happy with his life. He had made a plan and stuck to that plan through adversity and things were finally going well. Being stuck at genin for so long had thrown him off-course, and things with Mizuki had gotten twisted and messy, but he was back on track as far as his goals were concerned. He was quickly making up for the lost time.
He was much more comfortable talking to people now. He had found that many people jumped at a chance to talk about themselves to a new person who hadn't heard all of their favorite stories. He actually enjoyed talking to people these days, getting to know his fellow shinobi, and learning about the problems they had, which were just as important to them as his own problems were to him. Most people were too busy struggling with their own lives to pry into his. And he had learned that he could help, sometimes just by lending an ear to someone who didn't have anyone else to talk to. That was what he enjoyed the most, because it made him feel useful as well as more confident in himself. He now had the confidence to go up to a complete stranger and talk to them for an hour, knowing he could walk away without having given anything more than his name if that was all he wanted to share. Yes, he still had the blushing problem, and his inability to get rid of that was embarrassing, but at least it only happened around sexual topics or when he had said or done something he had good reason to be embarrassed about. Other than that, he had gotten good at dealing with people. So long as he was careful, patient, and paid attention he should be able to deal with anyone. Even an Anbu.
The peptalk failed. His skin prickled, his stomach clenched, and he quickly stood and rushed off toward the training grounds because moving, even in the direction of potential danger, was better than standing still.
Yes, he had grown more comfortable dealing with people, but only people of his own rank or lower. Even among that small selection of people there were entire groups that he actively avoided. He doubted he would be able to interact with someone like Tari for more than five minutes without his inherent disgust and disapproval showing in his eyes. There was no hiding who he was and what he believed. No matter how well he controlled what he said, his eyes still gave everything else away. He was every bit as self-righteous and judgmental as Mizuki accused him of being and that hadn't improved at all over the years. If anything he had become even more set in his ways. He was his parents' son and he refused to budge from that way of life. He was going to butt heads, step on toes, and make enemies. It was inevitable. All he could do was try to postpone that for as long as possible.
Maybe he should start wearing sunglasses and a mask. Some of the Aburame clan wore hoods, high collared coats, and dark glasses, a few of them leaving no part of their faces showing at all except a hint of eyebrow and yet somehow they made that look good. Amusement bubbled in his throat and he gulped it down. Now was not the time to be indulging in slightly hysterical humor. He did have to wonder about himself, though, if he had some sort of hidden-face kink. He had encountered Aburame Shibi as a genin and been struck by how attractive the man was, and then he had been mortified when he found out he was not just a married man and a clan member, but he was also the head of a noble clan. Iruka had done his best to keep his eyes off the Aburame clan since then, but there was definitely something to be said for the alluring mystery of hiding in plain sight. Now there was Kakashi, who he found terribly sexy even when there was nothing visible of him but a single eye. Yes, he probably did have a kink for powerful, confident, yet mysterious men. He was also jealous that he would never be able to hide like that, much less look good while doing so.
Once the hysterical edge had been beaten back, he embraced the rest of his amusement. He was being ridiculous. Anko had probably wondered about his mental state. He had seriously overreacted to her warning. Silly squirrel antics again so soon? He was better than that. She could be completely wrong and there was no one 'hunting' him at all. Even if she was right, Guy was an innocent bystander and a friend of Kakashi's. For all Iruka knew, Guy might go to Kakashi first and then he'd know what Raidou had told him was nonsense. If nothing else, Guy's choice of clothing was enough to prove he wasn't what Iruka had imagined an Anbu to be. And Iruka had spied on the poor man and walked away thinking he was disturbed, possibly mentally ill. If Guy did find him then he would just explain the misunderstanding and apologize. If Guy didn't show up before dark, then Iruka would put it out of his mind and go home. Either way, this was a ridiculous bit of nonsense and only a flighty and easily frazzled person would get so worked up over it.
This peptalk worked much better than the last one. Iruka was still amused as he settled on the little training ground where he had first spotted Guy. He placed some warning traps around the area, just in case there were any genin or pregenin nearby, and then laid out his scrolls so he could resume the meditation Anko had interrupted. That was better done outdoors, anyway.
The training post Guy had been lecturing was broken, just a ragged stump. Maybe that was why the man had been lecturing it in the first place. Training posts were supposed to be checked regularly to prevent injuries if one broken unexpectedly. Iruka made a mental note to report this training ground so the post could be replaced. He sat with his legs crossed and focused on his chakra. He smiled at how ragged his chakra was, as frazzled as his nerves. Settling that would take a while. He would stay here until nightfall and then he could go home knowing he hadn't run from an irrational fear. There were too many real things to be afraid of to get so worked up over nothing.
.-.
Kakashi left Ibiki feeling both irritated and relieved. He had intended to ask him if he knew anyone in the village who used a sensor like the one he had seen in Iruka's apartment. He had braced himself for the answer, and the questions that would follow. Instead he had found the man planning a department-wide screening after a confirmed poisoning incident in the kitchen. Kakashi didn't know where the kitchen was located in the T&I building, otherwise he himself might have been faced with the prospect of being probed by a Yamanaka since he was immune to the drugs Ibiki would be using during the screen. That put his fixation with Iruka into perspective. His private life took a back seat to the safety and security of the village as a whole. There were more important things to worry about. If one of Ibiki's chunin drones hadn't moved that scroll, then they were looking for a skilled individual who knew far too much about the inner workings of the T&I division.
It reeked of Sound. There was a chance that both of the groups Iruka had encountered had been working together, Sand and Sound, but the first group could also have been exactly what it appeared to be - a chance encounter. The second group had clearly been waiting, and they had to have known the mission had been given to someone unqualified to perform it or Orochimaru would have sent a stronger team. Iruka had been delayed by nearly a day because the Jounin in charge of that surveillance post hadn't wanted to hand his scroll over to a lone chunin despite the identification seal. That delay had probably saved Iruka's life and salvaged the mission. If the Sound team had been using ninjutsu to watch for him they would have been low on chakra by the time he finally passed by, just enough left to try and run him to ground but not enough to risk a direct confrontation.
If Kakashi had been a more positive person, he would see that as reassuring. Orochimaru wouldn't be too happy with the members of that team, or with the person who had arranged for that mission scroll to be misplaced. There was a chance Orochimaru would be annoyed enough to simply kill them all off. But since Kakashi was a pessimist he didn't believe Orochimaru would do their work for them and kill the spy who had failed him. Instead, Kakashi expected that spy would do something even more damaging to the village in order to prove himself if Ibiki couldn't find him first. That was how these things tended to go. The best they could hope for was that the spy was one of the potential recruits. If it was someone firmly established within the T&I department he might be good enough to pass a light Yamanaka probe or even compromise someone else to take the fall for him so they charged the wrong person and assumed the problem had been dealt with, leaving the spy to continue on.
With Danzou likely on the prowl for body parts and a potential Sound spy sneaking around within the T&I building, Kakashi's issues were so minor as to be embarrassing. Was he behaving like a kid with a crush? The only kid he had any contact with was Naruto, and he tried to stay as far away from that one as he could while still keeping an eye on him. When Naruto developed his first crush it would probably involve him doing something obnoxious for attention and making his crush hate his guts. Not a kid with a crush, then. Maybe he was behaving like a hormonal teenager. Kurenai was often the victim of that, with love-sick genin following her around and practically swooning if she gave them a smile. Kakashi grimaced painfully. He hoped he wasn't acting like that. He would rather be an obnoxious brat than a smarmy hormone-ridden Ebisu type.
It would be much better on his ego if he could be a grown up, and be rational about whatever this was so he had nothing to be embarrassed about. He was out of his element because he had never attempted a relationship that went beyond quick and somewhat impersonal sex. But he was an adaptable shinobi who quickly learned everything he could about an opponent. That was likely half the problem. He was viewing Iruka as an opponent rather than...whatever Iruka was. He wasn't just a sex partner and he wasn't a friend, so maybe he was a lover. Kakashi had no idea how a person was supposed to view a lover. He didn't know anyone who had a lover. If any of his acquaintances had one, they were keeping it very private.
He was relieved that he hadn't outed his continued fixation and irritated that part of him still wanted to get that name from Ibiki. If it bothered him that much he should just ask Iruka himself. It was bad enough that Ibiki likely knew he was having sex with Iruka. Kakashi hadn't told him that outright, but he had known when he handed over Iruka's mission report that Ibiki would guess how Kakashi had been alerted to that issue the moment Iruka returned from the mission. Kakashi had accepted that, because Ibiki was nothing if not discreet. Like his fellow Anbu members, Ibiki would never share that information or use it against him. But asking about that chakra sensor would be admitting that he cared, that he worried, that he was attached. That was so unusual for him that Ibiki would be compelled to share that information with Minato and Kakashi didn't want him to know. He didn't want Minato wondering. He especially didn't want him getting his hopes up.
Kakashi didn't know what to make of his own feelings. There was a good chance he was reading too much into it. Iruka wasn't a teammate or the next closest thing to family, but he was the sort of person the village needed. On its face, the desire to protect someone like Iruka was no different from wanting to protect someone like Shizune. Anyone worth his hitai-ate should feel that way about people like them because they formed the heart of the village. Konoha needed people like that. His desire for names, for details, wasn't just a desire for vengeance, it was him wanting to be able to assert more control over the situation. That was completely normal. He was Anbu. Most of them were paranoid control freaks. It was part of the job.
The possessiveness was unusual for him, but some of that might be because Iruka had essentially been a virgin when it came to receiving pleasure. Kakashi was the first person to kiss him, to go down on him, to show him what real sex could feel like. He had never been anyone's first, and there was a certain pride in that. As for his desire to know him better and spend more time with him, well, Iruka was easy to be around, interesting, and it was nice visiting someone who was usually happy to see him. Kakashi wasn't completely asocial. He had friends. There was nothing strange about wanting to spend time with someone who liked having him around. He didn't get that urge very often, but it did happen now and then.
Really, the only disturbing aspect of his relationship with Iruka was the fact that he had fallen asleep with him. He couldn't explain that, couldn't rationalize it. That implied a level of trust he didn't feel. He barely knew the man. There were people he had known for years, who he trusted with his life and with the lives of those he cared about, and he still never fell asleep near them unless he was physically too exhausted to keep himself awake. He wasn't concerned they might do something to him while he slept. He just didn't want anyone to witness one of his nightmares. He especially didn't want to have someone be there when he woke up from one, someone he might lash out at, or even worse, someone who might try to comfort him. His dreams were between him and his dead. Keeping it that way was important to him. He didn't know what he had been thinking, allowing himself to fall asleep like that.
The obvious solution to that was to leave sooner next time. If he wanted to still be there when Iruka woke up, then he could wake him up before he left. Knowing Iruka would be back to doing missions soon had him wanting to stay the entire night. But that meant he had only gotten a few hours of sleep in the last few days. The lack of sleep had simply caught up to him and he had dozed off. He could easily avoid letting that happen again if it bothered him that much. The problem was that it did bother him, badly, for the wrong reason. Part of him wanted to see if it would happen again, so he would know if it was a one-time loss of control or if it meant something. What if it did mean something? Kakashi was completely out of his element and he hated that. He needed to stop thinking about that for a while and focus on things he could actually do something about.
The Hyuuga that Tenzou had assigned wasn't at his post. Kakashi found him a few blocks over, watching from the water tower. If not for the familiar way the man held himself he wouldn't have recognized him without the sharingan. Kakashi joined him, looking around casually.
"When did you become Anbu?" asked Kakashi. The mask was generic, one of the ones worn by those who did patrols and were stationed at random points around the village. Kakashi knew the Anbu who usually held this particular position and wondered where he had been moved to, and why.
The man didn't look at him, because he didn't need to turn his head to see him with the Byakugan. "Someone accused me of spying on the women's bath house." He gave no reaction to Kakashi's snort. "We decided a change of position and a disguise was in order."
Kakashi shook his head in amusement. It was hard to find anything negative to say about members of the Hyuuga clan, so he wasn't surprised someone had jumped at the chance to spill some dirt on one of them. But spying on a bath house? That was Jiraiya-level of boldly open perversion. If a Hyuuga wanted to do something like that he would never be caught.
The disguise was a good idea, anyway, and this particular position was always manned so it wouldn't be suspicious to have someone watching the village from here. Kakashi was about to ask if the man had a replacement lined up, and who the clan had in mind for it, when the man suddenly tensed. Kakashi looked up just in time to see Guy crouch on the water tower.
"I might not be back for a while," Guy said cheerfully. He lifted the little red tortoise sitting in his palm. "I have a bead now."
"You're attracting attention," the Hyuuga said in a tight voice. "Stop it."
Guy beamed down at the man. "Nonsense! I regularly visit the Anbu stationed here to enjoy the beautiful sight of our village spread out below. Naturally I will be doing the same with you. A change in behavior and habits is what would attract unwanted attention."
Kakashi regretted the mask that prevented him from seeing the look on the Hyuuga's face. Guy was right. The Anbu who was usually stationed here during the day welcomed Guy's visits as an entertaining break from monotony. If those visits suddenly stopped that might be noted by the wrong people. He wondered how the Hyuuga would react when Guy turned up with tea in the morning and insisted he sit with him on the water tower in order to watch the sunrise together. He felt a surge of sympathy for the poor man, who had no idea what he had gotten himself into, and a healthy dose of amusement. Guy was good for that. He stepped back and looked up at him.
"What are you up to?" asked Kakashi.
Guy cocked a hip, placed a hand on it, and then pointed down at Kakashi with a wide grin. "I am enjoying my youth! Learn from my example before you wither away."
"Can you do this somewhere else?" the Hyuuga muttered through his teeth.
Kakashi snorted again. "Sorry. This is also typical. But he'll only be on break for a few more days, then you won't see him as much." Except in the mornings, when Guy wasn't too distracted with training to notice the impending sunrise. He looked up again, noting the tortoise. "Is that a new summon?"
"Yes," Guy beamed, "this is Ningame's little brother. His tracking skills put Pakkun to shame!"
"Impossible," Kakashi said flatly.
Guy recoiled a little, pulling the tortoise closer to his chest. "We will prove it to you in a test of skills the next time Naruto's youthful spirit sends him fleeing from captivity. For now we are on the hunt and our target may be as fleeting as the sun."
Kakashi watched as the man launched himself into the air, soaring over the two closest buildings in a showy bit of strength. It was a good thing the water tower was reinforced.
He glanced down in time to see the Hyuuga's shoulders relax minutely. He smiled at him. "You can ask." It was obvious the man had never worked with Guy.
The man's head jerked just enough for Kakashi to catch a glimpse of his white eyes. "How is he Anbu? Why?"
"Naruto," said Kakashi. "As a protecting force and sparring partner for the Hokage's son, he's the best." Guy was also one of the few people Kakashi could work smoothly with in battle, but this man didn't need to know that.
"Then it's an honorary position."
"No," Kakashi warned him. "He is as capable of the work as anyone." The Hokage just preferred not to use him that way unless he had to. Kakashi also preferred that Guy not be used that way and did his part to ensure there was little need for it. "If your cover is blown you might be glad he makes regular stops here."
"I doubt that."
Kakashi didn't bother trying to convince him. The man was young, freshly married, and full of prideful clan bias against shinobi like Guy. He would learn, though. They always did eventually.
.-.
Kurenai was on her way to the T&I department when Raidou slipped up alongside her. She shot him a worried look. "Did you get Ibiki's message?"
"Sure did," he said. "Must be serious. I haven't heard anything. Have you?"
"No." That was what worried her so much. She worked with Ibiki's people now and then, but she wasn't a real member of his department. For him to include her while calling in the troops implied it was something big.
Raidou put his hands behind his back and smiled. "I bet you could use some good news right about now. Eh?"
"How can you smile at a time like this?"
His smile widened and he explained with blatant satisfaction.
Kurenai stumbled, froze for a moment, and then whirled on him. "You did what?"
"You don't have to thank me," Raidou waved. "He'll never know you were asking around for him. I was real vague."
She shook her head, staring at him in disbelief. And horror. And extreme confusion. "What were you thinking? Guy had nothing to do with my asking you about Umino!"
"Oh, come on. I knew it wasn't Asuma. Word has it Kakashi had him in the private wing for at least half an hour, more than enough time to jump him if he was the one interested in him. He probably scared the hell out of Iruka, questioning him like that. There's no excuse for that. You guys don't need to pussy-foot around with someone like Iruka. He's the real thing. All Guy needs to do is be himself and those two will be getting it on like a house on fire. Very hot." He snorted and then grinned.
A small noise escaped her nose as bile hit the back of her mouth. She choked it down and backed away from him. Had she done this? Was this her fault? How could Raidou have misconstrued things so badly? "I thought you were T&I now!"
"I am," he frowned, "when I'm not doing assassinations. I do my share of infiltration, same as you. What does that have to do with anything? Don't worry. All I did was tell Guy that Iruka was a secret admirer too shy to make the first move. He was tickled pink. He even flashed me the nice guy thumb before he took off to hunt him down."
She closed her eyes painfully. She turned and forced herself to continue walking. Ibiki was calling in the troops and that took priority over her guilt. This was all her fault. If Guy had been that excited he was going to be crushed. And what would Umino think, having someone like Guy suddenly show up on his doorstep? If Umino was mean to him she would...try to make it up to Guy. That was all she could do. She couldn't get mad at Umino if he reacted the way people typically did to a first encounter with Guy. But what if Umino was nice to him? If Umino was nice and Guy found out Kakashi was interested in him, Guy might decide to make Umino the subject of his next competition with Kakashi. And Guy had about as much discretion as Naruto. Everyone would know. Asuma was going to kill her. No, she sighed, he wouldn't kill her. Death would be a relief. Asuma would laugh at her and then ask Genma to try and fix this before Kakashi found out. Kakashi was the one liable to kill her, or at least stop talking to her for the rest of their lives.
"I just asked you a few questions," she grimaced. "About someone you worked with once, years ago!"
"And I didn't have much info to offer. Sorry about that. I had no idea Iruka had made chunin. I guess he finally got away from that leech of his. Guy will be a lot better for someone like him than that loser. And now you can focus on Ibiki's problem without being distracted by your own. I'm glad I could help, even if you did always favor Asuma over me."
The stupid man was smiling at her as if he expected her to be grateful, as if he had done her a favor for old time's sake. She wanted to wrap him up in a demon tree genjutsu and strangle the life out of him. It had been a few years since they had worked together, but he had always been so calm and clear-headed. Yes, he had sometimes been clumsy but not like this. When she had heard he was also doing missions for Ibiki she had assumed he was in infiltration like her. That required subterfuge and carefully reading the situation. Obviously he was more the dart in head first and slash around type, leaving the enemy to deal with the carnage. And he had no idea the amount of carnage he had just left in his wake. She didn't dare explain it to him, either. There was no telling what he might do with the information, aside from make things worse. He would definitely make things worse.
.-.
When Guy showed up, Iruka almost threw a kunai at him. He had been sneaking peeks through his eyelashes, growing more relieved and confident the darker it got. Then suddenly the man appeared to drop straight out of the sky two feet in front of him. He recoiled, kunai in hand and heart in throat. He promptly choked half to death at the thought of what might have happened had he released the kunai. He doubted this man would be as understanding as Kakashi was about things like that.
"Greetings, shy one!" the man exclaimed. "I have come to teach you to embrace your youth and reach for what you want. Fear of rejection should not freeze you in place, for it will only make you stronger!"
Iruka felt the side of his face twitch. The man was even more strange and intimidating up close. Eccentric, he reminded himself frantically, not mentally ill. Harmless, supposedly. Anko had been right about his teeth. That was something. The man's grin almost glowed in the fading light. She had been right about his muscles, too. They were very exposed. Iruka wished they weren't. His eyes were at crotch level with the man. He needed to stand up right now. His arm jerked as he tried to put the kunai away and get up. He was definitely frozen, but it wasn't the fear of rejection holding him in place. He tilted his head back so his eyes were aimed at the man's face. Anko hadn't mentioned his blocky jaw, or his nose. He wasn't a pretty man, but the exaggerated masculinity suited him nicely. And he had a such a big smile. Showing off those shiny teeth. Iruka's face twitched again and he finally exhaled.
"Hi," Iruka squeaked. It was a misunderstanding, he thought frantically, but he couldn't make his mouth form the words. His teeth had snapped shut and all that came out was a quick whine. That sound was almost as disturbing as the way his face was twitching. He stopped trying to smile and focused on breathing. Guy was smiling enough for the both of them, anyway.
"Hello," Guy grinned. He reached a hand down to him. "I am Maito Guy, but you know that."
Yes, he did. Not for the reasons Guy thought he did, though. Iruka's arm moved automatically, at least a few inches. Then he looked down at his own hand. Was he going to give the man his kunai? He might need that. He yanked the arm against his chest and extended the other one. It would be an awkward handshake, but he was moving, no longer frozen. That was good. He blinked when the man's hand closed on his wrist and he was abruptly on his feet. That was nice of him. Now he could bolt if he needed to. Not that he wanted to bolt. Guy might chase him.
Another huff escaped him at the thought of that. It sounded more like a laugh than a whine this time. Was that better or worse? Hysterical humor would unfreeze him, but it would make a very bad first impression. Then again, it was a bit late to worry about first impressions when he was a few seconds away from bolting or dry-heaving on the man's feet.
"And you are?" asked Guy.
Didn't he know? Maybe he was being polite. Polite was good. Iruka could out-polite the best of them.
His face finally obeyed him enough for a smile. It was probably a sickly looking smile, but it was better than feeling like a frozen rabbit. "Umino Iruka," he managed to say. The sound of his own name was enough for him to catch his breath and blurt, "This is all a terrible misunderstanding. I'm so sorry!"
He started to bow and abruptly straightened back up again. They were too close. If he bowed then his head would hit the man's chest and his eyes would be directed at his crotch again. No bowing. Bowing was bad.
Another bubble of laughter worked its way up his throat and this time he let it out. There was nothing else to do, really. He was startled to hear Guy laughing with him. Guy's laugh was too loud in this quiet training area, almost booming, but it was nice of him to join in. Once the hysteric edge was off, Iruka's face was burning but his smile was genuine. Guy was grinning back at him. Iruka could only imagine how foolish they both looked.
"I can explain," said Iruka. Hopefully. He took a quick breath and blurted, "Someone was asking about me and they asked Raidou. Somehow he got it in his head that the person was asking because of you, because you were interested in me. For some reason that made him run to you and tell you that I was interested in you. I think. Is that what he told you? But it was all a misunderstanding on his part. You and I have never met. We're complete strangers."
Guy's smile faded, and he leaned forward to squint at him. "But we have met. Haven't we? You look very familiar."
"No," Iruka shook his head, "I don't think we have." Guy wasn't someone he would forget having met.
The man leaned back, looking at him suspiciously. "Aren't you the jounin with the-"
"I'm a chunin," Iruka said quickly. "We really haven't met."
Guy put a hand on his hip and stared at him with narrow eyes. "A chunin, you say? Are you the one with the cats?"
Iruka laughed. "No. I don't have any pets, or summons. We're complete strangers. Honest."
"I'm sure I have seen you somewhere," Guy insisted.
"You may have. In the mission room, possibly. Or somewhere else in the village. But we haven't met before this. I didn't even know your name until today."
Guy tilted his head, still looking skeptical. "And you haven't been admiring me from afar?"
He didn't sound upset by that. Iruka was so relieved he wanted to sit back down. Instead he finally slipped his kunai back into his pouch. "No. I'm sorry if Raidou told you that. He was confused."
"No need to apologize for someone else's confusion," Guy said with a bright smile. "I am glad to hear you have not been frozen with indecision and self-doubt. You are in the prime of your life and should go after what you want with the full passion of youth."
Iruka shifted awkwardly. That was very bad advice, in his opinion. Youthful passion led to irrevocable mistakes because many young people were foolish and didn't think things through. They were at the mercy of inexperience, hormones, and needed a guiding hand to keep them from being led down a bad path. He bit his tongue and watched as Guy's smile widened into a confident grin. Then he sighed. "Do you really believe that?"
"Of course!"
The man was Anbu. He would probably never have direct contact with impressionable youths. But he might. There was an entire group of Anbu in charge of protecting the Hokage's son, for instance. Even civilian children sometimes ran into Anbu in the streets. He remembered how he had felt about Anbu as a pregenin. They had been terrifying and impressive and had one ever spoken to him he would have believed anything he was told. Not all children were as impressionable as he had been, but many of them were.
His eyes narrowed and he sent a pointed look around him. He was on a training ground, at night, with a complete stranger. An eccentric jounin who was also an Anbu. And he wanted to lecture the man? He sighed at himself. He felt the same way as when he had thrown that kunai at Kotetsu and Izumo. He was such a hypocrite, wanting other people to mind their own business when he was unable to do the same. But he had accepted who he was and there was no changing his mind. Besides, the first thing Guy had said when he had shown up was that he had sought him out in order to 'teach' him.
"Guy-san," Iruka smiled. "Would you join me for a meal? I'd like to hear more about the way you think."
Guy's eyes lit up until they were almost as bright as his smile. "I would be honored! I always enjoy teaching others about the true glory of youth!"
Iruka nodded. That was precisely what he was afraid of.
.-.
Kurenai's head hurt. She had been one of the first to volunteer to submit herself to a Yamanaka probe. Ibiki had insisted it wasn't necessary, but she thought it was. Some of the chunin at the meeting had looked frightened and wary. It was important for those with more experience to show them it wasn't anything to be afraid of if they were innocent. And it wasn't scary, just a bit invasive. The headache was more from trying to keep her mind open and her instincts dormant so she didn't use a genjutsu to defend herself. The probe itself had been painless and quick. And at least one of the chunin had been reassured enough to step up voluntarily afterward. That made it worthwhile. Hopefully Ibiki could get to the bottom of this without losing any of his workers. He never had enough of them as it was.
She took her time going home. The night air was cool and clean and the sounds of shinobi enjoying their freetime was a balm to the soul after finding they had a spy in their midst. The lights hurt her eyes, but she looked up anyway, smiling and exchanging a few words with the people who noticed her. She was passing the ramen stand when a familiar laugh boomed out. She flinched and stopped in her tracks.
Guy. How could she have forgotten about Guy? Guilt and worry flooded through her, followed by confusion. That was definitely Guy, but he sounded awfully happy for someone who had been lied to. She approached quietly, edging to the side until she could see under the flaps of the stand. It was definitely Guy. And seated right next to him was a smiling and blushing chunin with a prominent scar over his nose. She felt all of the blood leave her face. All her fault. Killed by Kakashi. No hope of even Genma fixing this one. Was there? She still had to try because Guy and Kakashi were her friends and this was all her fault for not realizing Raidou was a carnage-leaving meddler.
Iruka didn't notice they were being watched until Guy sent a quick look off to the side. Then he felt it.
"It's been good talking to you," said Iruka.
Guy grinned. "But have I convinced you?"
Iruka smiled back. "Only for certain youths."
"Those with the will of fire," Guy beamed, "because that fire burns brightest when inflamed by youthful passion."
"But youths grow up," Iruka reminded him.
"Nonsense! We are all young and remain young so long as we have passion in our hearts."
Iruka laughed. "Have a good night, Guy-san."
Iruka dropped his eyes as the man left, and then sent a discreet look to the side. Guy had joined a beautiful woman with long black hair and a rather horrified expression on her face. Kurenai? Iruka could only imagine what she was thinking. He didn't care, though. Anko might be right. Maybe he should pay more attention to what people were saying about him so he could be prepared for random things like this. But he didn't have to care. He should be free to interact with another person in a public setting without people turning it into something sordid. If they chose to do that, so be it. He refused to care.
"I hope you come back soon," said the owner of the ramen stand. "It's been too long."
"Yes, it has," Iruka agreed.
He hadn't come here since his parents had died. This was a luxury, Mizuki didn't like ramen, and Iruka hadn't wanted to come here alone. But he didn't have to come here alone because there were plenty of people he could invite aside from Mizuki. The only person he couldn't come here with was Kakashi, because they couldn't be seen together, and because Kakashi probably didn't eat in public what with his mask and all. Well, if he couldn't invite him, he could do the next best thing.
Iruka grinned at the owner. "Can I get two orders to go?"
"Of course!"
Iruka smiled as he waited. He was going to send something through the scroll himself tonight. And if Kakashi wasn't available then he would have a second dinner and some tasty leftovers for breakfast. Either way, this was a good night. He had not only faced an Anbu, he had questioned the man's belief system without making an enemy of him. True, Guy might be the least Anbu-like Anbu in the village, but he was certainly a jounin. Iruka was feeling relieved and confident and happy. Now he just needed to get home before anything else happened to make him doubt himself. And if anyone knocked on his door tonight, in reality or in his dreams, he wasn't answering. This was a good night and he was determined to keep it that way.
.-.
TBC