Rating: PG for now, PG-13 later *...Or R if you crave the actionzorz e.e*

Pairing: Kakashi x Iruka

Breif Descript: Right now, It's just Iruka in need of a sparring partner~ Expect a lot depictive sparring or fight scenes. Light fluff. [NEW EDIT: Changed some grammar and small mistakes~]

Setting : Some are a little confused, so I'm clearing this up in the edit; This setting is just a tiny bit AU. For the non-canon relationship (of course) and the motives of the characters. Iruka in this story is a Chuunin at the age of Seventeen. Kakashi keeps his same background, he is twenty in this story, already resigning his posistion of ANBU back to Jounin for the time being. It may change if the story will it so~ Iruka was deprived of parents from the Kyuubi At age.. -.o eight or six, I believe. Eight in this story. Thank you for asking questions n.n; From now on, review questions will be answered in following chapters. Thank you!

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Sparring With the Weather

Like any other day, skies seemed open and supple enough to soar through with hands outstretched and lashing. Feet kicking up the dust to touch it briefly before fluttering down to their earthen home once again. Skies that never feigned an unhappy hue through the periodic seasons could always be ruptured as soon as this frame clicks away and forward does a new one spring. So easily can they change from one mask to another, ruining or brightening moods. Weather was fickle like that. Weather was cruel like that.

But not for now. Weather sleeps.

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His breathing is now bordering fatigue as the newly ranked Chuunin skidded through the dirt, Kunai poised over white knuckles, breath ragged as it came out in wisps of curling heat. He twirled the hilt of the kunai in his hand and flung it in the opposite direction. The brown haired Chuunin spun around and within seconds, surpassed the kunai's speeding velocity to grab it by the hilt again, spun it around on his finger and threw it again. Seconds later he catches up to it and threw it again. Again. Again.

As difficult as it seemed to train by yourself, it actually wasn't. Shinobi knew how to do this well. Iruka knew how to do this well. You just had to have motivation and the urge to keep pressing your training further. If you lacked self motivation, then, well, this might not be an activity you do as profusely. Iruka knew the dance of self training and solitude all too well; waltzing with his sweat as it flew off his face in glinting droplets that defied gravity for mere moments, sparkling over his vision and arms before falling dead to the world. Your moment to shine could be as small as that. As rapis as the perspirant that leaves his body in heavy streams. You don't want to lose it before you even had a chance to gain it. Everybody wants to have purpose.

Iruka is standing on one leg, the same kunai as before is pitched into the air with the toss of his hand and falls back down as if it were the first drop of rain, lightly, but steady. Iruka switches the foot he's standing on with a hop and bends the free one backwards so the bottom of his sandal is raised up straight to the air to catch the kunai tip lightly in the intricate grooves on the bottom. The obsidian sleek weapon stands straight up from it's place in Iruka's sandal, one swift moment of motion and it's let free into the air to be retrieved with a hand and a folding knee that falls down into the grass patched dirt. The Chuunin's audible breathing and chest raptures are now clear; time to stop. Go home.



He re-sheathes the kunai quickly and makes to move his aching muscles... No dice. Iruka collapses to the grass and dirt, sweat rolling off of his face and sticking to his hair which is in a tight ponytail. He rolls from his side slightly so he can face the colored sky and moving clouds. The sun had mere hours to set and the long streams of white in the sky were at a stand still as the rest of the sky moved around them. Iruka winced his eyes half closed and stared aimlessly at the sky above him. He was in no hurry to try and get up again, just lost in thoughts that he'd rather not think about ; how empty his house was, how full his walls were with what he once had and will never have again. Breathing deeply. How many people actually know his name, how many actually care. Breathing deeply. Who wasn't waiting for him, the shadow blocking his view...

There's a dark shadow over Iruka's view and he's squinting his eyes almost shut to see what it was... He had no energy to place puzzle pieces into pictures so he's left clueless until the figure speaks;

"I've been watching you." The shadow says, his voice is low, quiet, and colorless, "You have a lot of potential. Would you be interested in a sparring partner?"

At the mention of the words 'watching', 'potential', and 'partner', Iruka's eyes widen. He grunts and tries to force his tired body off the ground. The stranger lifts his hand out and the Chuunin gratefully accepts it. "...That would be great..!" Iruka pushes a smile onto his face, despite how his smile is short lived by the pounding of his heaving chest, "Do I get a name..?"

"I'll give you one if you can keep up with me tomorrow. Meet me here at four in the morning."

Iruka was about to protest to the sun masked stranger, but he was gone before he could even get a good look at him. He sighed and dusted off his aching knees before making his way back into town.

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'He said Four...I'm sure he did.' The bewildered Shinobi looks about his surroundings for signs of anybody coming close to his area. No one. Iruka sighs and puts a hand on his hip. He's been waiting an hour. It was now five in the morning. He yawns and muses; was last evening's encounter just a figment of his imagination? Even though that voice was distant, it was clear... As clear as the kunai that's just about to graze the side of his neck. Iruka elongates his neck and tucks it in to the side of his shoulder, spinning around to be caught at kunai point, his neck locked behind a sturdy arm and a kunai tip just barley centimeters away from his chin, he freezes.

"I'm disappointed." His captive says almost mocking, a shock of silver flashing before Iruka's eyes as he tries to look back,

"Save it." Iruka scowls and slips one of his legs between his captive's and thrusts it forward to send him off balance. This gives the Chuunin enough time to also channel chakra to his legs so he can spring away with force to distance himself a bit more. This seems to have pleased his opponent. He jumps back as well and is now resting on his haunches, hands pooling over his thighs like excess(dead) weight. He's smiling. Iruka on the other hand looks as if he were to puff plummage to display how disgruntled he was. So this was his rendezvous. He looks strange. The brown haired Shinobi didn't have much time to observe as he himself unsheathed what looks like three shuriken. He thows them at his opponent's current position who easily dodges them by jumping upwards. In the wake of the jump and speeding shuriken, a shadow curves up from the three projectiles to reveal two more pieces of metal flying to where Iruka's opponent was trying to dodge. There was an audible click of tongue against the other's teeth as he spun in the air, but not before one of the flying objects razored past his arm and made the slightest impact.

Iruka's opponent lands lightly on his feet, touching a hand to his arm, "Clever!" He seems to be even more pleased, his smile widening. Iruka (who was grinning before) just stares stupidly. He then remembers something and the curve of his mouth rises,

"Do I get a name now...?"

"Aah. Right. Hatake Kakashi. And you?"

The blue sky sparkled. Iruka is behind Kakashi within an instant, his kunai met by another in a strong lock, "Out do me for it." He almost whispers over their small struggle. He then slides off and parries against the weapon again, "I've heard of you..." He starts, swirling around as Kakashi grabs his shoulder, the silver haired shinobi's kunai met with Iruka's near the Chuunin's neck again,

"Kakashi of the Sharingan Eye." Iruka is looking into the depths of that one red eye, close enough to touch it or even gouge it out. He curves his body out of the close capture and into another screeching halt as he's forced against the other weapon, "Closet Case. Open Pervert...You supposedly had a mask..?" He questions through a grunt, trying to fend off the other weapon. Kakashi overpowers Iruka in the struggle and bends the other's weapon holding hand behind the other's back. Iruka gasps,

"It's a bit more personal when the prey sees your face." Kakashi teases, comming so close to the other's ear as he breathes words into it, "They have no stories to tell of my complection if they're dead." Iruka shudders and breaks the contact quickly, looking at the other Shinobi as if he were growing horns and sprouting wings. Kakashi is silent for a moment then laughs. He laughs hard, a sickening sound to be heard after the same tongue had just literally threatened Iruka.

"I'm kidding!" He waves a hand, the same hand to the arm that's bleeding all down his side. "I'd still like a name."

"Umino Iruka."

"Iruka, huh? A pleasure, Iruka-kun." He smirks and looks over at his arm, "My. You caught me off guard. That was great!" Kakashi is smiling as he's pressing a gloved finger over the long slit on his arm. Iruka stirs himself away from his idle and gawking stare to realize what he did,

"Oh..! I am so sorry, Kakashi-san, here. Come with me." Iruka walks over to the other and places a firm hand on the other's back to move him forward. Kakashi made no protest, and followed (was pushed) to a nearby stream of clear water. Iruka protrudes a small white towel from his vest and dips half of it in the stream, "I thought you'd dodge that flawlessly." He says, returning to the other and places the damp edge of his cloth on the bleeding wound. Kakashi neither winced or drew away, instead he continued,

"I didn't think you knew how to read that far into evasive maneuvering." Iruka pulled away for a moment with what looks like a pout. Was this guy already downsizing him just because he looked like he was younger?

"...Then your fault for getting hit."

"...Then why were you appologizing for it ?"

The Chuunin looks as if he were about to slap the guy with his towel, his snide scowel furrowing into his pout. He ignores the question and Kakashi looks by far, amused. After cleaning Kakashi's wound, Iruka wrung the excess pink and clear water from the towel and slides it back somewhere into his vest. He then protrudee several bandages that he wraps around Kakashi's arm and ties (rather tightly) into place around the cut,

"Nice to meet you, Kakashi-kun.." Iruka grumbles and bows his head out of habitual respect. Kakashi's eyes widen and his smile just spreads wider. He replies to the little bow with his hand pushing up Iruka's chin, drawing near and kissing him on the forehead,

"Just Kakashi. Thank you." He grins again as he looks at Iruka's shocked and flushed face, pulling up the pile of cloth around his neck until it covered the half portion of his face. Iruka blinks and Kakashi is gone. He falls to his knees, looking straight ahead of himself, shaking. He clenches his teeth together and balls his fists together tightly before screaming,

"UGH...! That -FREAK-..!"

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Blah. Sorry for the screw ups. Hopefully most were fixed n_n;