CHAPTER 2

"AGAIN?" Iruka exclaimed in disbelief. "Why do you three always get hurt?" He put his hand on his forehead, trying to suppress a headache.

Class had just been dismissed. A swarm of little kids are pushing to get through the classroom door. Iruka looked up every time he heard a "Bye, Iruka-sensei!" coming from the crowd. He would either return a smile or a wave.

"Huh? I don't know, Iruka-sensei," Udon, accompanied by his two best friends, looked at his teacher as if Iruka would know the answer. Shaking his head, Iruka kneeled down to take a better look at the wounds on his six-year-old students, some on the knees, some one the arms.

"How are you going to become a ninja if you are so careless?" he asked with such care that you can almost hear him end the sentence with 'sweetheart'.

"Ya, I know! It's all your fault!" Konohamaru accused Udon. "You'll never be as great as Bro if you keep getting hurt like that!"

Udon dropped his head with a snot dangling from his nose. Iruka patted the little boy's head with his sweet smile, "Don't worry, you'll do fine. Come one, let's get that wound taken care of." Kids are so cute, he thought. He then led the children to the health centre to see Dr. Hamaru.

"Dr. Hamaru? Konohamaru and co needs your help again," he called out as he opened the door to the room. However, instead of Hamaru, a girl in white lab coat turned in response to his greeting. She was in her mid-twenties with long brown hair that just passed her shoulders. The beauty she possessed was not the kind that would be acknowledged by everyone. She just had this sweet and innocent face. She was sitting at the desk facing the window opposite to the door. She smiled and said, "Dr. Hamaru has been switched to another section. I'll be taking his place from now on. Can I help you?"

"Y-yes, my students got hurt again. Can you please take a look?" Iruka silently damned himself for his easily-blushed face.

"Of course," her smile remained on her face, as she waved the children over. "What happened?"

"We were playing ninja today during recess," Moegi explained. "We heard from Leader that ninjas can walk on trees, so we tried. And we just kept falling."

The lady doctor blinked and her mouth formed a small 'o' for a moment before she started to laugh, "That's very dangerous. Ninjas don't do trainings like that until they graduate, or else you'll get hurt like you are now!" She carefully wrapped the bandages around the wounds. After she was finished, she told the children to take care of themselves before letting them leave.

"See you tomorrow, guys!" Iruka said as the kids ran past him through the door.

"Bye! Iruka-Sensei!" Konohamaru replied, then mumbled to his friends. "Bro said ninjas can walk on water too. I think that would be easier to do."

"But I can't swim..." Udon replied as they walked down the hall.

"I'll teach you puppy swim..." Moegi said.

"GUYS~!!!!" Iruka yelled at them furiously. "Read my lips! DO. NOT. PLAY. NIN. JA. WHEN. YOU. ARE. NOT. ONE."

"OH NO! He heard us!" The kids turned around and stared at the enraged sensei for a moment. "RUN~!!" One of them called out and they did.

Letting out a long defeated sigh, he put his hand on his forehead again. Upon hearing a giggle, he realized that the lady doctor was watching. A shade of red crept up his face. "Iruka, you still blush every five seconds."

Iruka was quite surprised. Do I know this girl? He asked himself. I would definitely remember a girl as pretty as she is. And the only girl I can think of is my childhood crush: "Kyomi?"

Kyomi nodded to confirm his suspicion. "I didn't recognize you...When did you come back?" he asked as he found himself a seat opposite to her.

"Just two days ago," she replied. "How have you been? I see that you are having fun being a teacher."

Iruka thought of his students and laughed. "Ya, they are nice kids. These children are still so innocent. They don't know how dangerous the ninja world really is. And that's also the most frustrating part."

"You were like that yourself when you were young," Kyomi teased. Iruka blushed again. Kyomi never used to tease people. She never really talked to people, he thought.

"I guess there is always one or two students like that every year," he commented. "Always causing trouble. Just like Konohamaru and Naruto."

Kyomi's blinked and looked at Iruka curiously, "Naruto?"

"Yes, THE Naruto. Uzumaki Naruto. Used to give me headaches everyday," he recalled on the pranks Naruto used to pull, and chuckled to himself. "He's a nice kid though. Seems to be completing missions properly since he graduated."

"Well, there are always the good kids to balance out!" Kyomi pointed to herself, and laughed. Iruka joined her, and said, "You are right."

After a several moments, Iruka stared at his knees and said seriously, "You know, Kyomi. Without you.... I mean...I am unbalanced on my own...and I need you to balance things out...and umm...you balance me out...uh...I mean...are you currently seeing anyone?" His face was now bright red, covered with sweat. "Am I making any sense?" He looked up at Kyomi without moving his head, and laughed nervously at his own silliness.

Kyomi wasn't laughing, however. She was just studying his face, trying to figure out if he was serious. "I didn't think it was true."

"Huh?" Iruka stopped laughing.

"Before I left the village, Makiko told me that you had a crush on me," she explained.

"She did?" Iruka blushed. "That big mouth..."

"But I didn't really believe her...." It was now Kyomi's turn to blush. "Because...of the rumour..."

"What rumour?"

"...nothing. Forget it. It was a silly rumour," she just gave him a big embarrassed grin. She used to be such a shy girl. It was nice to see her smile so often now, Iruka thought.

"Come on," he insisted with a smile. "I didn't know that was a rumour about me!" Kyomi was surprised that he didn't know.

"It was all over the Internet...The KakaIr-" She quickly stopped herself and changed the subject. "Weren't you asking me out? Let's go see a movie this Saturday."