Sorry for the delay people. I know I sorta promised this chapter the day
after I posted chapter 5, but slight complications arose.
First off were finals... but those are done now. Second, well... I was confused where I was leading this fic. It wasn't meant to have any direction, and was just a character-interpretation type story that meant nothing. A "plot without point" you could say.
However, it's settled for the time being, thanks to my new pre-reader Yanslana-chan! (Though I know she's pre-reading this due to a hidden agenda... one that deals with part three of this story which is already in it's blueprint stage.)
Yeah, this story is ending soon...most likely by the next chapter. Hehehe... 6 chapters and I still haven't made any yaoi-ness? XD Gomen! ;;
Well... well see what happens, until then, enjoy!
Midnight Confessions
Chapter 6
---
"Well then... maybe I should buy it then."
Iruka froze at these words, but other than a slight stiffening of his back, he tried to control his expressions as Kakashi continued. "It's not a bad house, and the location isn't so bad either. It's next to the river, not too far from the village, yet secluded from the noise. It's roomy, well kept- thank you very much, sensei- and I suppose after completing a couple of A and B missions, not to mention that it's been in the market for so long... this house here easily afforded with a jounin's salary. What more could guy like me ask for?"
Iruka had been long prepared for anyone to have purchased his home. In fact, he had welcomed the idea. This was most likely due to the reason that the house would once again be filled by some individual or family and they would most likely be able to take care of the building more frequently than the teacher could. However... however something about the notion of Kakashi owning this home sent Iruka's hackles rising. He so very wanted to glare at Kakashi and flatly told him that it wasn't for sale for him, but decided against the idea. As the other man said, he could easily afford it with his salary, something that Iruka had been painstakingly trying to accomplish with his meager chunin pay. Not that it helped his financial situation that he constantly treated Naruto out for ramen once or three times a week.
With a sigh, the teacher turned to the older teacher and gave a nonchalant shrug, then stretched his lips in a makeshift smile. "Well, if you're interested in it that much, you should perhaps take it up with Hokage-sama. I have no say to that matter."
For a few tense moments, Kakashi stared at the pony-tailed man before giving a shrug of his own. "Aaa..." he quietly confirmed, as to what, Iruka couldn't fathom. "Anyway, that isn't what I wanted to talk about. Normally I could care less, but it's providing too much of a distraction, and I don't like that. So how about we make a deal? You answer my questions, and..."
"... And you'll leave me alone?" Iruka completed hopefully. Kakashi let out a small chuckle in response.
"Nice try, Iru-kun." Iruka's face switched from placid curiosity to a more irritated glare.
"I told you not to call me that...." Kakashi, nearly feeling the glare almost burn him, simply gave off a humored chuckle and rose his hands up in defeat. After all, if he needed the chunin to answer his questions, he'd have to first get on his good side really.
"Hai, hai! Sorry, forgot!" Of course, with the tone given by the jounin, Iruka was sure that the man before him was neither sorry nor did he forget, still the brown-haired man sighed and looked away as if dismissing the matter.
"So...."
"So?" Kakashi repeated in mock innocence, which only caused Iruka to growl slightly.
"I mean, if I answer your questions, what would you do in return?" The chunin decided he had enough of all this. This whole ordeal was exhausting on his nerves. Whatever it was that the other man asked, he would answer it. He didn't care much anymore as long as it meant the silver-haired man would stop annoying him... at least for today.
Silence was the only thing that answered for the moment. Iruka glanced at Kakashi expectantly only to receive a content expression on the mostly-covered man's face. Keeping silent, Kakashi unzipped his flack jacket halfway and pulled out an item from one of the hidden pockets. It was a small, thin sheet of glossy paper: A photo to be exact. Cautiously wondering if it had been a candid photo of him in the buff, Iruka carefully took the picture from Kakashi's allowing fingers, and let out a gasp at the image.
It was a slightly faded and worn picture that easily showed its age from the frayed and creased corners. Still, despite the photo's age, it was relatively well cared for, given the jounin's activities. In the center of the image stood a masked, silver-haired boy, who was glaring lazily at the camera. Definitely Kakashi when he was younger, Iruka thought, but he wasn't the one who made the teacher gasp. Behind the boy stood a young man, giving a forced and uncomfortable grin at the camera. It was obvious that the man had been coerced into taking the picture. However, despite that, the man still bothered to pose for the image, with one hand on his hip, and the other hand doing a "V" sign behind the boy. The 'Leaf' brand hitai-ate, which was looked like it had seen better days, was tied loosely around the man's neck.
The man had appeared to be in his thirties or late twenties. He was athletic in his frame, (probably due to years of practice in taijutsu), but despite this the man still carried with him a boyish look to his features. The standard flack jacket was unzipped and showed off the traditional dark, black ninja sweatshirt and pants underneath. Black, unruly, short hair, frayed by the wind, glowed with the position of the sun above them, giving the man a haloed effect. The feature that captured the most attention from the person, however, were the man's stormy, blue-grey eyes.
What Iruka saw in those eyes saddened him; they looked as if they were the eyes of one that had experienced a great loss and betrayal. They were windows to his soul, holding all of the man's feelings and emotions, yet hiding them in vain, as they couldn't help but express everything through those orbs. The creases around his eyes spoke a silent story of fatigue and hardships that no one should have experienced, yet although the blueness of those eyes seemed dull from the experience, they still manage to sparkle slightly with tenderness and a touch of arrogance.
Iruka knew these eyes, and he knew them well. He remembered, when he himself had been a child, that should he ever want to know what this man was feeling, he would always look into those expressive blue eyes that showed everything the body and face was determined to hide. Whether it was cautious trust to a fellow team member or the unconditional love and pride that would stare back at Iruka's own brown eyes, the chunin knew these eyes and the stories they would tell.
"Tousan..." Iruka whispered with a quivering voice.
The man in the picture had indeed been Iruka's father. There had been little to no pictures of the older man, due to his secretive nature. Since the man was a former ANBU, it was quite understandable. The few pictures that Iruka did have were mostly candid shots, and even then they were not in the best of focus. Iruka had once made it a game to try to photograph his father, and the man, in return, would constantly manage to somehow shadow his face with an object, person or simply leave a blurred afterimage. It didn't help that Iruka had been seven or eight when he went on this photo-shooting spree before he gave up entirely. To have this photo would almost make Iruka's life complete, at least that's what he felt at the moment. All the images the chunin teacher had of his father were merely memories and some crayoned drawings when he was five.
Breaking away from his memories, Iruka shook his head in negation. This was Kakashi's photo, he told himself. It was Kakashi himself on this picture, and while that brought a flash of jealousy in Iruka, he figured that it must have meant something to him as well if the jounin had continued to keep possession of this photo for so very long.
"So..." Iruka paused, trying to strengthen his voice again. "You knew my father?" Iruka held back the photo towards the silver-haired man, but was seemingly ignored as Kakashi's attention turned towards the darkening sky.
"Aaa... It was back when I was still at the academy. Since school was getting so easy for me, they decided to assign a specialized jounin to be my personal instructor. In fact, that picture was our 'class photo', so that's why we were able to get a clear shot of him, in case you were wondering. Anyway, he always managed to make school challenging, and I enjoyed it. Yet despite those few years that I knew him as my sensei, I didn't know anything else about him." Kakashi paused and turned to smile at the man beside him. "One thing I did know for certain was that he had been a great teacher, one of the rare people I admired at that time. You take after him in that."
Iruka shifted uncomfortably in his place beside the jounin, a dark blush surfacing on the man's face from the praise and comparison to the great man that was his father. Those words made him feel happy, causing his throat to tighten slightly from the other emotions he was feeling. Still, it wouldn't do to cry before the jounin. What would Kakashi think of him if he compared the stern, dedicated, ex-ANBU teacher of old...to the whimpering, weak, chunin instructor before him? Yes, Kakashi would probably be severely disappointed, if not disgusted. Calming down his emotions, Iruka glanced longingly at the image held securely within his tanned hands.
During the silence, Kakashi lazily folded his arms behind his head and leaned back to rest on the veranda, somehow managing to avoid the splinters from the wood from sticking to his skin and clothing.
"And now, you're willing to give up this, in trade of a few simple questions?" That was the part that Iruka was still incomprehensive about. According to the silver-haired man, Iruka's father meant a lot to the older boy. It didn't seem a fair trade to exchange that for only a few questions.
"Oh I never said they were 'simple questions'. I plan to make you work for it!" At this Kakashi's humored expression seemed to grow slightly mischievous, causing the younger man to become slightly uncomfortable in worry. "I kept an eye at you for a while. I mean, I only learned about you after the death of my former sensei. I suppose I had been out of the loop with all my missions." Suddenly, Kakashi paused in his little narration. With a sigh he stood and stuffed his hands in his pockets. Iruka, curious about the sudden change of mood stood as well, giving the jounin a questioning look. "We'll discuss this later," was all the silver-haired man said before going still quiet.
Wondering what had brought Kakashi's guard up, Iruka opened his mouth to ask the silver-haired man what the problem was when instead the teacher leaped back to avoid something as it shot right across the already scarred man's nose. Narrowly missing a brush against the tanned man's skin and embedding itself deep into a wooden plank that framed the home, Iruka was then able to see what had been thrown at him; a kunai.
"You idiot! Watch where you're aiming that!" Iruka trailed his eyes over to the direction where the high-pitched voice came from. Just over the short wall surrounding the home, he saw Sakura slam her fist down on Naruto's head. Looking about, Iruka then saw Sasuke perched upon the wall, glaring back at the two fighting teens.
Breaking out of his shock, Iruka breathed in deeply and with an eerie tone, like the wind of a tornado through a small crack of a building, the teacher let out a fearful howl at the blond boy.
"NA-RUU-TOOO!" The tone caused more damage than any other smacks or hits the teacher would have otherwise shelled out. The mere implication of danger (and perhaps a long lecture), within the teacher's tone, had caused the said boy to let out a loud squeak of fear and hide behind the pink- haired girl.
Heaving out a big sigh, Iruka brought his fingers to rub at the bridge of his nose, trying to relieve a bit of tension. Turning back to the jounin, mostly for a bit of support or perhaps the sympathy and understanding with having to deal with Naruto, Iruka saw that Kakashi instead had a highly-amused expression glared back at the teacher, which didn't help Iruka's mood much.
"Waah! Iruka-sensei! This house is beautiful!" Sakura was now looking around the yard. The girl then crouched down to coo at two stone statues of a piglet and a chicken (or perhaps it was a duck) that were placed next to an empty pond.
Iruka couldn't help but smile at those words. His smile increased when he saw that even Sasuke was gazing about the property with curious eyes. Sasuke was gazing about the property with curious eyes, eyeing a stack of weather-worn bricks and an equally worn wooden post with interest, which had been abandoned next to a small protruding building off to the side of the house.
"Well... I suppose it can't be helped. Would you like a tour of the place?"
Naruto simply grinned in response and folded his arms behind his head. He already knew a bit about the home after having been persuaded to help Iruka clean it several times. Sakura had let out an ecstatic squeal to see more of the home. Inwardly the girl was bringing up fantasies of her and Sasuke living in a home similar to this; in those dreams, she would be the ever so doting housewife to cook, clean and... and... well, some fantasies were meant to remain hidden. Sasuke, on the other hand, simply shrugged. The fact that the boy had hopped off from the wall and started heading towards Iruka's direction showed that he too was at least slightly curious. Iruka finally turned towards Kakashi for the older man's response, but instead found the jounin's attention turned elsewhere. Oh well, Iruka shrugged, if the man wanted to follow, Iruka knew he could do nothing to stop him.
Calling over his shoulder to remove their shoes before stepping on the mats, Iruka lead the group inside. Iruka started from the dinning room, from which they've entered then made their way towards the kitchen. Exiting back to the dinning room, they then made their way to the master bedroom. Afterwards he showed them the second bedroom, which had been converted from what was once the living room. The last formal room in the home was the bathroom, which had been styled in the traditional manner with a separate room for the toiletries and a separate room for the large shower area.
Iruka then led them through a long hallway that branched out of the home and connected itself to a small separate building, which was the one Sasuke had eyed earlier. Sliding open the screen door at the end of the hallway, Iruka lowered his head in a nod then stepped into the slightly darkened room. The room had been different from all the other rooms, in that there were no mats, but rather donned wooden flooring.
"And, last but not least, this is the dojo." Iruka concluded, watching his previous students stare, in wide-eyed curiosity, at empty room. Iruka was pleased to know that the polish for the wood had not faded entirely. Perhaps that had been due to the fact that no one had stepped foot into the room since his last visit. At least the floor was still in good condition, compared to the back porch.
"Ne, sensei? I wanted to ask you, when we passed by the bath, there were some unfinished staircases, but this house doesn't have a second floor, at least... it didn't look that way from outside."
Iruka glanced down at the girl, and gave her a small sad smile. Glancing back up, his eyes seemed to daze about, as if conjuring up a strong memory.
"There was supposed to be a second floor, at least from what I remember. There were to be three rooms, side to side, and an extra room used for guest room. However, those steps, that are unfinished, will forever remain unfinished. The one who built this home died long ago, and sadly the blueprints were all in the man's head."
"I was wondering why the design was a bit different from other homes around. Sensei, you seem to know a lot about this home. Did you know the owner as well?"
"I should hope so that I knew the owner." Iruka simply chuckled, giving the girl a mysterious grin. "He was the same man who built the home. It was a hobby for the man when he wasn't out in missions. Ah, but it's getting late; you guys should head back now, that is unless Kakashi- sensei has some other task for you to do."
Weary eyes turned to glance back at the silver-haired jounin, but they were only rewarded with a casual shrug in response. Taking it as an affirmative, Iruka then started shooing everyone out of the room and to head back to the exit where they left their shoes. The sun had now begun to set, signaling that they had survived another day. Taking one last look at the sunset-tinted home, Iruka gave a soft smile before turning back and exiting the gates, locking it behind him since he was the last to leave.
"Iruka-sensei?"
Looking over his shoulder, Iruka saw Naruto waiting for him. The boy was giving him a sheepish grin while rubbing his hand behind his blond, shaggy hair.
"Anou-sa, anou-sa... Iruka-sensei?" Naruto paused, seeming a bit nervous and embarrassed in his actions. Iruka simply stood there, watching the boy patiently until enough nerve was gathered. Opening his mouth, Naruto was about to again address the teacher when a loud grumble was heard from the blond-boy's midsection.
"I see..." Iruka chuckled, mostly at the sheepish, red-faced expression on the younger boy's features. Halting his good humor, Iruka then turned his eyes down to stare almost coldly at the boy before him, rubbing his own chin as if in serious thought. "I don't know, I mean, you didn't exactly complete the mission as I asked you to. As a ninja, if you do not complete your task, you should not expect to be recompensed for your deeds. I'm sorry Naruto."
"I understand sensei..." Naruto's head lowered in disappointment and gave off a big sigh. With a downcast expression, he then turned around and began to shuffle his feet back towards the village before he heard his teacher's voice stop him in his tracks.
"Of course... that isn't to say I can't treat one of my favorite ex- students for dinner as he tells me some stories of him and his new team... after all, that's entirely a different matter."
Naruto's head snapped back to stare at the now grinning chunin. The smile seemed infectious as the boy's lips curved into one of the widest grins the teacher ever saw. In fact, Iruka had to try to hold in his laughter as he saw the boy jump up and shout in celebration. Shaking his head, Iruka then lead the way down the path back to Konoha, with a bouncing bundle of yellow and orange energy trailing eagerly behind him, for a nice bowl (or three) of ramen..
---
This could be a great stopping point for the fic, but I promised Yanslana I'd do an additional chapter. This is fine by me seeing as the next chapter has another "confession" Iruka tells Kakashi. XD
Your reviews have helped me break from my block, and I appreciate each and every one of you who has read my story! Please tell me what you think so far!
First off were finals... but those are done now. Second, well... I was confused where I was leading this fic. It wasn't meant to have any direction, and was just a character-interpretation type story that meant nothing. A "plot without point" you could say.
However, it's settled for the time being, thanks to my new pre-reader Yanslana-chan! (Though I know she's pre-reading this due to a hidden agenda... one that deals with part three of this story which is already in it's blueprint stage.)
Yeah, this story is ending soon...most likely by the next chapter. Hehehe... 6 chapters and I still haven't made any yaoi-ness? XD Gomen! ;;
Well... well see what happens, until then, enjoy!
Midnight Confessions
Chapter 6
---
"Well then... maybe I should buy it then."
Iruka froze at these words, but other than a slight stiffening of his back, he tried to control his expressions as Kakashi continued. "It's not a bad house, and the location isn't so bad either. It's next to the river, not too far from the village, yet secluded from the noise. It's roomy, well kept- thank you very much, sensei- and I suppose after completing a couple of A and B missions, not to mention that it's been in the market for so long... this house here easily afforded with a jounin's salary. What more could guy like me ask for?"
Iruka had been long prepared for anyone to have purchased his home. In fact, he had welcomed the idea. This was most likely due to the reason that the house would once again be filled by some individual or family and they would most likely be able to take care of the building more frequently than the teacher could. However... however something about the notion of Kakashi owning this home sent Iruka's hackles rising. He so very wanted to glare at Kakashi and flatly told him that it wasn't for sale for him, but decided against the idea. As the other man said, he could easily afford it with his salary, something that Iruka had been painstakingly trying to accomplish with his meager chunin pay. Not that it helped his financial situation that he constantly treated Naruto out for ramen once or three times a week.
With a sigh, the teacher turned to the older teacher and gave a nonchalant shrug, then stretched his lips in a makeshift smile. "Well, if you're interested in it that much, you should perhaps take it up with Hokage-sama. I have no say to that matter."
For a few tense moments, Kakashi stared at the pony-tailed man before giving a shrug of his own. "Aaa..." he quietly confirmed, as to what, Iruka couldn't fathom. "Anyway, that isn't what I wanted to talk about. Normally I could care less, but it's providing too much of a distraction, and I don't like that. So how about we make a deal? You answer my questions, and..."
"... And you'll leave me alone?" Iruka completed hopefully. Kakashi let out a small chuckle in response.
"Nice try, Iru-kun." Iruka's face switched from placid curiosity to a more irritated glare.
"I told you not to call me that...." Kakashi, nearly feeling the glare almost burn him, simply gave off a humored chuckle and rose his hands up in defeat. After all, if he needed the chunin to answer his questions, he'd have to first get on his good side really.
"Hai, hai! Sorry, forgot!" Of course, with the tone given by the jounin, Iruka was sure that the man before him was neither sorry nor did he forget, still the brown-haired man sighed and looked away as if dismissing the matter.
"So...."
"So?" Kakashi repeated in mock innocence, which only caused Iruka to growl slightly.
"I mean, if I answer your questions, what would you do in return?" The chunin decided he had enough of all this. This whole ordeal was exhausting on his nerves. Whatever it was that the other man asked, he would answer it. He didn't care much anymore as long as it meant the silver-haired man would stop annoying him... at least for today.
Silence was the only thing that answered for the moment. Iruka glanced at Kakashi expectantly only to receive a content expression on the mostly-covered man's face. Keeping silent, Kakashi unzipped his flack jacket halfway and pulled out an item from one of the hidden pockets. It was a small, thin sheet of glossy paper: A photo to be exact. Cautiously wondering if it had been a candid photo of him in the buff, Iruka carefully took the picture from Kakashi's allowing fingers, and let out a gasp at the image.
It was a slightly faded and worn picture that easily showed its age from the frayed and creased corners. Still, despite the photo's age, it was relatively well cared for, given the jounin's activities. In the center of the image stood a masked, silver-haired boy, who was glaring lazily at the camera. Definitely Kakashi when he was younger, Iruka thought, but he wasn't the one who made the teacher gasp. Behind the boy stood a young man, giving a forced and uncomfortable grin at the camera. It was obvious that the man had been coerced into taking the picture. However, despite that, the man still bothered to pose for the image, with one hand on his hip, and the other hand doing a "V" sign behind the boy. The 'Leaf' brand hitai-ate, which was looked like it had seen better days, was tied loosely around the man's neck.
The man had appeared to be in his thirties or late twenties. He was athletic in his frame, (probably due to years of practice in taijutsu), but despite this the man still carried with him a boyish look to his features. The standard flack jacket was unzipped and showed off the traditional dark, black ninja sweatshirt and pants underneath. Black, unruly, short hair, frayed by the wind, glowed with the position of the sun above them, giving the man a haloed effect. The feature that captured the most attention from the person, however, were the man's stormy, blue-grey eyes.
What Iruka saw in those eyes saddened him; they looked as if they were the eyes of one that had experienced a great loss and betrayal. They were windows to his soul, holding all of the man's feelings and emotions, yet hiding them in vain, as they couldn't help but express everything through those orbs. The creases around his eyes spoke a silent story of fatigue and hardships that no one should have experienced, yet although the blueness of those eyes seemed dull from the experience, they still manage to sparkle slightly with tenderness and a touch of arrogance.
Iruka knew these eyes, and he knew them well. He remembered, when he himself had been a child, that should he ever want to know what this man was feeling, he would always look into those expressive blue eyes that showed everything the body and face was determined to hide. Whether it was cautious trust to a fellow team member or the unconditional love and pride that would stare back at Iruka's own brown eyes, the chunin knew these eyes and the stories they would tell.
"Tousan..." Iruka whispered with a quivering voice.
The man in the picture had indeed been Iruka's father. There had been little to no pictures of the older man, due to his secretive nature. Since the man was a former ANBU, it was quite understandable. The few pictures that Iruka did have were mostly candid shots, and even then they were not in the best of focus. Iruka had once made it a game to try to photograph his father, and the man, in return, would constantly manage to somehow shadow his face with an object, person or simply leave a blurred afterimage. It didn't help that Iruka had been seven or eight when he went on this photo-shooting spree before he gave up entirely. To have this photo would almost make Iruka's life complete, at least that's what he felt at the moment. All the images the chunin teacher had of his father were merely memories and some crayoned drawings when he was five.
Breaking away from his memories, Iruka shook his head in negation. This was Kakashi's photo, he told himself. It was Kakashi himself on this picture, and while that brought a flash of jealousy in Iruka, he figured that it must have meant something to him as well if the jounin had continued to keep possession of this photo for so very long.
"So..." Iruka paused, trying to strengthen his voice again. "You knew my father?" Iruka held back the photo towards the silver-haired man, but was seemingly ignored as Kakashi's attention turned towards the darkening sky.
"Aaa... It was back when I was still at the academy. Since school was getting so easy for me, they decided to assign a specialized jounin to be my personal instructor. In fact, that picture was our 'class photo', so that's why we were able to get a clear shot of him, in case you were wondering. Anyway, he always managed to make school challenging, and I enjoyed it. Yet despite those few years that I knew him as my sensei, I didn't know anything else about him." Kakashi paused and turned to smile at the man beside him. "One thing I did know for certain was that he had been a great teacher, one of the rare people I admired at that time. You take after him in that."
Iruka shifted uncomfortably in his place beside the jounin, a dark blush surfacing on the man's face from the praise and comparison to the great man that was his father. Those words made him feel happy, causing his throat to tighten slightly from the other emotions he was feeling. Still, it wouldn't do to cry before the jounin. What would Kakashi think of him if he compared the stern, dedicated, ex-ANBU teacher of old...to the whimpering, weak, chunin instructor before him? Yes, Kakashi would probably be severely disappointed, if not disgusted. Calming down his emotions, Iruka glanced longingly at the image held securely within his tanned hands.
During the silence, Kakashi lazily folded his arms behind his head and leaned back to rest on the veranda, somehow managing to avoid the splinters from the wood from sticking to his skin and clothing.
"And now, you're willing to give up this, in trade of a few simple questions?" That was the part that Iruka was still incomprehensive about. According to the silver-haired man, Iruka's father meant a lot to the older boy. It didn't seem a fair trade to exchange that for only a few questions.
"Oh I never said they were 'simple questions'. I plan to make you work for it!" At this Kakashi's humored expression seemed to grow slightly mischievous, causing the younger man to become slightly uncomfortable in worry. "I kept an eye at you for a while. I mean, I only learned about you after the death of my former sensei. I suppose I had been out of the loop with all my missions." Suddenly, Kakashi paused in his little narration. With a sigh he stood and stuffed his hands in his pockets. Iruka, curious about the sudden change of mood stood as well, giving the jounin a questioning look. "We'll discuss this later," was all the silver-haired man said before going still quiet.
Wondering what had brought Kakashi's guard up, Iruka opened his mouth to ask the silver-haired man what the problem was when instead the teacher leaped back to avoid something as it shot right across the already scarred man's nose. Narrowly missing a brush against the tanned man's skin and embedding itself deep into a wooden plank that framed the home, Iruka was then able to see what had been thrown at him; a kunai.
"You idiot! Watch where you're aiming that!" Iruka trailed his eyes over to the direction where the high-pitched voice came from. Just over the short wall surrounding the home, he saw Sakura slam her fist down on Naruto's head. Looking about, Iruka then saw Sasuke perched upon the wall, glaring back at the two fighting teens.
Breaking out of his shock, Iruka breathed in deeply and with an eerie tone, like the wind of a tornado through a small crack of a building, the teacher let out a fearful howl at the blond boy.
"NA-RUU-TOOO!" The tone caused more damage than any other smacks or hits the teacher would have otherwise shelled out. The mere implication of danger (and perhaps a long lecture), within the teacher's tone, had caused the said boy to let out a loud squeak of fear and hide behind the pink- haired girl.
Heaving out a big sigh, Iruka brought his fingers to rub at the bridge of his nose, trying to relieve a bit of tension. Turning back to the jounin, mostly for a bit of support or perhaps the sympathy and understanding with having to deal with Naruto, Iruka saw that Kakashi instead had a highly-amused expression glared back at the teacher, which didn't help Iruka's mood much.
"Waah! Iruka-sensei! This house is beautiful!" Sakura was now looking around the yard. The girl then crouched down to coo at two stone statues of a piglet and a chicken (or perhaps it was a duck) that were placed next to an empty pond.
Iruka couldn't help but smile at those words. His smile increased when he saw that even Sasuke was gazing about the property with curious eyes. Sasuke was gazing about the property with curious eyes, eyeing a stack of weather-worn bricks and an equally worn wooden post with interest, which had been abandoned next to a small protruding building off to the side of the house.
"Well... I suppose it can't be helped. Would you like a tour of the place?"
Naruto simply grinned in response and folded his arms behind his head. He already knew a bit about the home after having been persuaded to help Iruka clean it several times. Sakura had let out an ecstatic squeal to see more of the home. Inwardly the girl was bringing up fantasies of her and Sasuke living in a home similar to this; in those dreams, she would be the ever so doting housewife to cook, clean and... and... well, some fantasies were meant to remain hidden. Sasuke, on the other hand, simply shrugged. The fact that the boy had hopped off from the wall and started heading towards Iruka's direction showed that he too was at least slightly curious. Iruka finally turned towards Kakashi for the older man's response, but instead found the jounin's attention turned elsewhere. Oh well, Iruka shrugged, if the man wanted to follow, Iruka knew he could do nothing to stop him.
Calling over his shoulder to remove their shoes before stepping on the mats, Iruka lead the group inside. Iruka started from the dinning room, from which they've entered then made their way towards the kitchen. Exiting back to the dinning room, they then made their way to the master bedroom. Afterwards he showed them the second bedroom, which had been converted from what was once the living room. The last formal room in the home was the bathroom, which had been styled in the traditional manner with a separate room for the toiletries and a separate room for the large shower area.
Iruka then led them through a long hallway that branched out of the home and connected itself to a small separate building, which was the one Sasuke had eyed earlier. Sliding open the screen door at the end of the hallway, Iruka lowered his head in a nod then stepped into the slightly darkened room. The room had been different from all the other rooms, in that there were no mats, but rather donned wooden flooring.
"And, last but not least, this is the dojo." Iruka concluded, watching his previous students stare, in wide-eyed curiosity, at empty room. Iruka was pleased to know that the polish for the wood had not faded entirely. Perhaps that had been due to the fact that no one had stepped foot into the room since his last visit. At least the floor was still in good condition, compared to the back porch.
"Ne, sensei? I wanted to ask you, when we passed by the bath, there were some unfinished staircases, but this house doesn't have a second floor, at least... it didn't look that way from outside."
Iruka glanced down at the girl, and gave her a small sad smile. Glancing back up, his eyes seemed to daze about, as if conjuring up a strong memory.
"There was supposed to be a second floor, at least from what I remember. There were to be three rooms, side to side, and an extra room used for guest room. However, those steps, that are unfinished, will forever remain unfinished. The one who built this home died long ago, and sadly the blueprints were all in the man's head."
"I was wondering why the design was a bit different from other homes around. Sensei, you seem to know a lot about this home. Did you know the owner as well?"
"I should hope so that I knew the owner." Iruka simply chuckled, giving the girl a mysterious grin. "He was the same man who built the home. It was a hobby for the man when he wasn't out in missions. Ah, but it's getting late; you guys should head back now, that is unless Kakashi- sensei has some other task for you to do."
Weary eyes turned to glance back at the silver-haired jounin, but they were only rewarded with a casual shrug in response. Taking it as an affirmative, Iruka then started shooing everyone out of the room and to head back to the exit where they left their shoes. The sun had now begun to set, signaling that they had survived another day. Taking one last look at the sunset-tinted home, Iruka gave a soft smile before turning back and exiting the gates, locking it behind him since he was the last to leave.
"Iruka-sensei?"
Looking over his shoulder, Iruka saw Naruto waiting for him. The boy was giving him a sheepish grin while rubbing his hand behind his blond, shaggy hair.
"Anou-sa, anou-sa... Iruka-sensei?" Naruto paused, seeming a bit nervous and embarrassed in his actions. Iruka simply stood there, watching the boy patiently until enough nerve was gathered. Opening his mouth, Naruto was about to again address the teacher when a loud grumble was heard from the blond-boy's midsection.
"I see..." Iruka chuckled, mostly at the sheepish, red-faced expression on the younger boy's features. Halting his good humor, Iruka then turned his eyes down to stare almost coldly at the boy before him, rubbing his own chin as if in serious thought. "I don't know, I mean, you didn't exactly complete the mission as I asked you to. As a ninja, if you do not complete your task, you should not expect to be recompensed for your deeds. I'm sorry Naruto."
"I understand sensei..." Naruto's head lowered in disappointment and gave off a big sigh. With a downcast expression, he then turned around and began to shuffle his feet back towards the village before he heard his teacher's voice stop him in his tracks.
"Of course... that isn't to say I can't treat one of my favorite ex- students for dinner as he tells me some stories of him and his new team... after all, that's entirely a different matter."
Naruto's head snapped back to stare at the now grinning chunin. The smile seemed infectious as the boy's lips curved into one of the widest grins the teacher ever saw. In fact, Iruka had to try to hold in his laughter as he saw the boy jump up and shout in celebration. Shaking his head, Iruka then lead the way down the path back to Konoha, with a bouncing bundle of yellow and orange energy trailing eagerly behind him, for a nice bowl (or three) of ramen..
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This could be a great stopping point for the fic, but I promised Yanslana I'd do an additional chapter. This is fine by me seeing as the next chapter has another "confession" Iruka tells Kakashi. XD
Your reviews have helped me break from my block, and I appreciate each and every one of you who has read my story! Please tell me what you think so far!