Distant Soul: Wow... I can't believe I'm actually not writing a song-ficlet or a 1st person POV...

Gai: *nice-guy pose* It is always good to test your abilities! I have full faith in you!!

Distant Soul: *sweatdrop* arigatou Gai-sensei-!

{Kakashi and Iruka walk in}

Kakashi: *turns around abruptly when he sees Gai, but Iruka keeps a firm hold on his arm*

Iruka: Konnichiwa Distant Soul-sama, Gai-sensei! *elbows Kakashi*

Kakashi: Yo- *pulls out his infamous book*

Gai: *turns to see Kakashi and points enthusiastically* Kakashi-sensei! My eternal rival! What should our battle be today?!

Kakashi: *bored expression* I don't...

Gai: Come now Kakashi! Surely the Leaf's Prideful Green Beast does not scare you!

Kakashi: *narrows eyes* Fine. Let's play the quiet game.

Gai: I will surely win!

Distant Soul: *cheers* Good luck Gai-sensei! *hugs Gai-sensei*

Gai: *does nice-guy pose* I swear upon this beautiful face, that if I lose, I will...

Kakashi: Not bother me for two weeks.

Gai: Deal!

Iruka: *finally notices Icha Icha Paradise, and snatches it away from Kakashi, who looks extremely deprived* Okay, it starts now. *looks to Kakashi* (is he actually going to...)

Kakashi: *looks lost without his book* Now that we're playing the quiet game, why don't you start the ficlet now Distant Soul-sama?

Distant Soul: All righty! And for my disclaimer...go Iru-chan!

Iruka: *sighs and gives Kakashi back his book* Warning: This story is shounen ai, and the main pairing is Kakashi/Iruka. No other pairings are stated yet. Also, Distant Soul-sama doesn't own Naruto, or any characters in it.

Kakashi: except for a Chuunin vest, a Rock Lee plushie and a Maito Gai figure. *shivers*

Distant Soul: You forgot the doujinshis that are coming in this week-end! *tackles Kakashi*

Kakashi: O.o *looks to Iruka for sympathy as Distant Soul glomps him*

Iruka: *gets jealous*

Gai: *smirks* (I am SO winning)

****************

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++Himitsu++

_Chapter One_

Iruka is confused! What is this feeling inside?!

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Iruka was just walking down the street as usual when he saw team seven heading his way. 'Oh no,' he thought hurriedly. 'I've got to go...' He quickly ducked into the bookstore, hoping that he had avoided their field of vision.

It wasn't that he was scared of any of the team members, that was quite the contrary. He was actually quite fond of Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura. But their sensei, that was a completely different topic all together. There was just something about the Jounin that made Iruka feel funny. He did not know how to describe the feeling accurately.

The feeling was warm, yet it only surfaced whenever Team Seven's sensei was around. The Ninja Academy teacher found this to be quite odd, and ever since he had started to feel this strange emotion, he had taken it upon himself to avoid Hatake Kakashi at all costs. It wasn't as if he was scared of him....of course not.

As Iruka looked through the store window, he saw Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura passing by and breathed a sigh of relief. 'Guess he didn't notice.' he looked around the novelty shop with interest. 'It's been a while since I've been in here, so I guess it wouldn't hurt to look around a little...'

He gravitated away from the front of the store and off to the educational section, without even noticing. "Hey, I haven't seen this book before..." He remarked softly to himself as he picked a Ninjitsu for Beginners book off the shelf. Iruka thumbed through the first couple of chapters, totally engrossed with the teaching styles used in the book. "This would definitely help in the next section I'm about to cover with my classes. I wonder if..." He looked to the shelf to see if there were any other volumes.

Sadly, they were out, or looked like someone had just recently taken one off the shelf. 'How odd,' the Chuunin thought to himself. 'I could have sworn that the shelf was full when I came over here...' As he looked confusedly at the shelf, wondering how in the world a book could possibly disappear, he heard an all too familiar chuckle resonate from behind him.

"Maa, Iruka-sensei, are you looking for this?"

The fore-mentioned teacher stopped himself from looking around. He knew who it was, for he had long ago memorized that voice. "Hai Kakashi-sensei," Iruka smiled, embarrassed as he turned around to face the other Shinobi. "I thought you were training Team Seven today."

Kakashi curved his lone showing eye. "I am, but we walked past this bookstore and a lady asked me to help her..."

'Liar...' Iruka laughed inwardly, yet hearing the other ninja mention that he had followed a lady made him feel a twinge of pain inside of himself, for reasons he did not yet know. But putting this aside, he immediately went into 'Teacher Mode.' "Kakashi-sensei, you know you cannot distract yourself when it comes to your..."

"You know, this book does seem to be what you need to help train your students." Kakashi handed him the second volume of Ninjitsu for Beginners. "It wouldn't hurt to also get this one too though." He handed him another book, which had a orange cover. Before Iruka could get a good look at the newly presented book, Kakashi winked at him and disappeared in a cloud of ninja-smoke.

"What's thi..." Iruka's eyes bugged out when he read the title. 'Icha Icha Paradise?!' The poor teacher looked around quickly to make sure no one had seen him with the accursed book yet. He breathed a sigh of relief. 'Good, no one's in this section except for me...' Iruka started to plan Kakashi's death out that very minute. 'Now how am I going to get rid of this? I can't be seen walking into the adult section!!' Then he looked at the cover again. 'It sure doesn't look new...' In fact, looking over it a second time showed that it had been read multiple times, but was in good condition over all. 'This is -his- book!' He realized and a hot blush flushed over Iruka's face. 'I have to return this to him as soon as possible...' His imagination began to run its course, but he shook his head to clear it before it got too out of control.

He walked quickly to the counter to purchase his new teaching materials, all the while thinking, 'I will not look in his book, I will not look in his book.' Having purchased his items and nothing else to do that day, he headed straight to his apartment, repeating his mantra over and over. 'I will not even THINK about that book...'

******************

It was ten o'clock, and Iruka had already eaten dinner and changed for bed. As he climbed into his full sized bed, he looked over at his nightstand, glaring at the orange book that continued to taunt him relentlessly. 'I swear, I bet he's watching me this very moment, just waiting for me to give in and have a little peek at it. Then he'll have blackmail...' The very thought of Kakashi watching him sitting in his bed and underneath the warm covers made that warm emotion flood through his inner-self again.

"What is this feeling?" Iruka thought aloud to himself, his own voice echoing back to him, his question left unanswered. "And why..." He looked to the book again, thinking of it's owner. "do I feel it whenever Kakashi comes to mind?" Unconsciously, he pulled his covers up further, so they would cover his exposed legs and boxers. Sighing, he turned out his light, determined to get some sleep that night. 'I'll just see what happens tomorrow...'

Little did he know, that there -was- a figure watching him outside of his window on the opposite roof. 'Surprising, he didn't even pick up the book at all.' Kakashi continued to look in the window at the now sleeping Chuunin. 'I admire his will power, but there has to be more to that mind than he lets people know.' He rolled his eyes. 'Like I'm one to talk.'

The silver-haired jounin stood up to leave, when he chanced one more glance at Iruka before he left, only to find his eye meeting brown. While any other person would have immediately disappeared, Kakashi just stared back, not completely sure if he was the one the teacher was looking at. Sure enough, the sleepy Chuunin yawned and turned over. Breathing out deeply, the jounin knew that he had not been spotted spying, because if he had been, Iruka would have been out of his window and demanding some answers. 'But not before getting embarrassed and blushing...' Kakashi thought fondly.

He let his eyes drift to the orange covered book. 'That was a good idea, handing him Icha Icha Paradise. Now he cannot avoid me...' Curving his eye up in happiness, Kakashi jumped off the rooftop and made his way back to his place.

***********stay tuned for chapter two*****************

Gai: *struggles to keep slient* (I MUST WIN!)

Distant Soul: Aweee-! You're so nice Kakashi-chann! Lending Iru-chan your precious book like that!!

Iruka: It's a perverted twisted book! Why would I ever want to read it?!

Kakashi: *puts an arm lazily around Iruka's shoulder* Maybe to figure out what's going on in my mind...

Iruka: *face flushes*

Distant Soul: *whispers to Gai* I think the quiet game is over, seeing how Kakashi-chan keeps talking...

Gai: *laughs loudly* I WIN! I am superior to Kakashi!

Kakashi: *head droops* There I thought I would finally have him leaving me alone...

Iruka: *kisses Kakashi's cheek*

Distant Soul: Stay tuned for Chapter Two!! I promise it'll be out in a week! *goes back to the computer to type*

Gai: *nice guy-pose* Yoosshhhaa! Ikuso! *follows Distant Soul to provide ideas*

Kakashi: We better follow them, or else Gai may mess up the story line. *drags Iruka along*

Iruka: Ja matta ne minna-san!