Beta-read by V-chan aka b4k4-girl. Sankyuu na!

Answers to reviews and explanation to a sudden turn is at the bottom! Read FIRST before even saying anything about chapter being shite! There's a reason for the switch!

A special thank you to Kagaya who gave me a wonderful suggestion on how to make Gen and Iru get together! Mwah! I love you! So this chapter is dedicated to you!

Enjoy everyone!

FAINT 17

In the warm confines of Iruka's neat apartment, he sat stiffly on his couch, staring at the shiny surface of his coffee table. He'd been staring at it for a very long time, feeling like his heart was tied to a horse chariot and as if he was in a nightclub, because of the loud roaring and thumping sound ringing in his ears. His cheeks were hot and red, and his hands were shaking. He could feel the slight formation of sweat drops on his neck and temple.

Genma's words were still ringing in his ears.

"I don't want to be alone anymore."

Iruka shakily got to his feet and padded to the bathroom. The loud pitter-patter of rain began to fall from the sky, hitting the roof of his apartment. It was like a loud beating drum, a continuous ecstatic rhythm that matched the pace of his beating and afraid heart. He splashed his face and neck with water and dried it with a towel. He stared at his reflection for a while, taking note of his tired look and how wrinkles were starting to form on his forehead and the corner of his eyes.

He was stressed to breaking point.

He gave himself a sad smile. What would Naruto think of him if he saw how he looked right now? A mere ghost of the old lively schoolteacher? Naruto would drag him to the Ichiraku and stuff ramen down his throat, then he would buy him something nice (much to Iruka's surprise) and then drag him to the Hokage mountain carvings and remind him to stop overworking himself and to relax.

"But Naruto's not here." Iruka whispered sadly. "I don't have anyone here."

Then he remembered.

So he left his apartment and ran down the wet path, rainwater drenching him as he headed for the cenotaph.

XXX

Genma opened the fridge and took out another sandwich. He normally did not eat all of his sandwiches in one day flat, but he shrugged it off. They say you tend to eat a lot after a heartbreak and that is what exactly he was doing.

Eating his sandwiches.

"Hmm. Tuna ain't bad. Maybe I'll order more of those from her." He grumbled biting into the soft bread. He was wearing his Jounin pant uniform, his turtleneck, flak jacket and sandals tossed about in his room. He was prancing about shirtless in his little apartment, a bit cold from the rainy weather. But he didn't care. He tossed the wrapper of the sixth sandwich he'd eaten in a row and reached for the fridge to have another one. "Hmm. Pickle flavor. Okay." He got rid of the wrapper and was about to take a bite when he heard a knock on his front door. "Tsk. Better not be Raido." He padded for the front door, leaving his sandwich on the kitchen counter and pulled the door open. He blinked at the person standing in his doorway.

"Yo!" Raido greeted.

"Somehow I had a gut wrenching feeling that it would be you." Genma said, opening the door wider for his friend.

"That's sweet!" Raido teased, folding his wet umbrella and leaving it outside the apartment door and taking his sandals off.

"Tea or coffee?" Genma asked.

"Got any hot chocolate?" Raido asked, stretching a bit.

"I think so. Have a seat." Genma gestured towards the couches in his living room.

Genma went to prepare two cups of hot chocolate, munching on yet another sandwich from his fridge as he waited for the water to boil. He carefully mixed the powder and water together before carrying the two mugs out in the living room.

"Ah! Smells good." Raido said, taking a good whiff of the chocolate concoction.

"Yeah, yeah." Genma mumbled, blowing gently into his mug.

The silence went on for a few minutes before Raido set his mug down and looked at Genma seriously. "So, what happened?" Genma looked up from his cup blankly. "Don't give me that look! You know what I'm talking about! What happened with Iruka? What did you say? So are you guys an item now? Well? Spill!" Genma parted his lips to speak but his eyes dropped back to the mug in his hands. Raido frowned. As Genma's best friend, he swore that he never saw that kind of look on Genma's face ever. "Genma?" He asked slowly. Then it dawned on Raido. "Damn."

Genma set his cup down and stood up, walking towards his living room window and staring at the empty street below. His gaze shifted back to the raindrops trickling down the glass of his window. He could vaguely see his reflection in the glass, and it made him look like he was crying because of the dripping raindrops.

"Raido." He whispered, closing his eyes. "I'm going to the bar. You coming?"

Raido stared at the lithe back of his friend. Genma had dipped his head a bit and his shoulders were slightly trembling. Raido understood and a sad look glazed his face because of the state of his friend. "Yeah. Sure."

XXX

Genma leaned against his chair, staring at the piles of paperwork on his desk. He had had a horrible morning. First of all, he woke naked and had no clue as to why he was so. That and he reeked of alcohol. He had to spend about an hour in the shower trying to get the smell off him. He didn't know how much alcohol he got into his system the other night, but he was sure it was more than a few cups because his head was pounding.

Now, hours later, he couldn't bring himself to just do work. It was a good thing he didn't have a mission to do. Missions seemed to be on the sloping side lately, maybe it was because of the bad weather. Genma wasn't sure about the weather thing. Maybe missions are being held back again and being given to higher ranked ninjas, like ANBU.

"Hell." Genma sighed, tilting his head back.

The door slid open and Anko stepped in. "Hello, Shiranui-san!"

Genma threw Anko a glare. "If you're here to give me a headache, you're wasting your time."

"No, no. Nothing like that." Anko said, pushing aside a stack of folders and sitting on the desk, crossing her legs. "So, what's up, lover boy?" Genma threw her a dirty look. "Come now! I left Iruka to you! Well, how's the love going?" Genma banged his fist on the table.

"Anko!" He hissed, about to berate her for even speaking of such a thing when footsteps down the hallway reached his ears. He gained control of his temper, and sighed, rubbing his temples.

Anko shook her head. "Look, why don't you join me for dinner tonight. It'll help you forget things." To say that Genma was surprised was a gentle way of putting it. His eyes were so wide that they surely should have popped out. "Hmm? My treat. Look, I know I've done a lot of teasing, but hey, even someone like you don't deserve to feel this way. We'll have dinner, some sake, maybe even do some karaoke. It'll be fun. What do you say?" The door slid open as the footsteps stopped, and Iruka stepped in, some scrolls in his arms. Anko gave him a brief look before turning back to Genma. "It's a date, hmm? I'll swing by your place. The restaurant I have in mind is near your area anyway." Anko dropped a kiss on Genma's cheek. "Later." Anko passed by Iruka who was looking at the floors, feet glued to the floor and leg muscles unable to function in order to leave the room. "Yo! Iruka! Things okay?"

Iruka swallowed rather difficultly and nodded. "Yes, Anko-san. Everything is fine, thank you."

"Good! Good! Have a nice day!" Anko waved and shut the door behind her, walking down the hall, singing an old folk tune.

Genma had followed Anko's figure as she left his side, but somewhere in the middle of looking, his eyes fell on Iruka, and almost immediately, his eyes glazed with desire and need that it seems to burn a brighter golden hue than the normal honey-brown color. Iruka approached his desk and gently placed the scrolls before him.

"H-Hokage-sama told me that you're in charge of filing reports this w-week." Iruka said, trying to smile but failing miserably. "H-Here are m-my mission reports -"

"Iruka -" Genma began to speak, but Iruka's soft voice cut him off.

"P-Please take care of it." Iruka managed to say, his voice fading in to a whisper. He stepped away from the desk and dipped his head in a bow. "Good day, G-Genma."

Iruka all but ran out of the door, sliding it shut with an unintended slam before rushing down the hallway. Genma could feel his ribs being hit by his racing heart and his mind work overtime from the excessive thoughts that hit him at that very moment.

Since when did Iruka call me by first name?

XXX

Iruka found himself in front of the cenotaph, staring at the shiny marble stone and the names carved on it. He spent the entire night kneeling in front of it the other day, praying over and over again until his throat began to ache. Now, feeling lost, he found himself kneeling in front of it once more, hands on his face.

"I love him." He looked at the cenotaph. "Do you understand? I love him! And now I -" He gripped his hair by his scalp and bent forward, little shaking sobs escaping his mouth. "I've lost. I've lost everything!" He bit his lower lip to stop himself from crying out loud and ended up splitting the already delicate skin of his lip. The coppery taste filled his mouth and he let out a shaking quiet sob. "I'm scared." He dropped his hands to wrap his arms around himself, staring helplessly at the cenotaph. He closed his eyes, and parted his lips as little quiet sniffs escaped the parted and red-stained lips. He couldn't bear the idea of Genma with someone else. It felt selfish somehow, but it hurt too. "Because I love him."

Silence passed, save for the quiet wind blowing, ruffling his hair and beating against his weakened frame. Spending an entire night in the rain kneeling before the cenotaph was taking its toll. Stress just added to the whole topping, and Iruka was getting delirious by the second. In seconds, memories of his time spent with Genma flooded his mind and it only increased the aching he felt inside, to have had a chance to be loved by someone only to lose that person because of his own fear.

"Why don't you say it to my face?" Iruka stiffened at the very familiar voice that he knew and recognized. He almost did not want to turn. "Iruka?"

"W-What are y-you doing here?" Iruka managed to say in a whispered tone, because his voice shaking so badly.

"You never call me by my first name. Never." Genma said.

"You followed me." Iruka mumbled, more to himself that to Genma. Iruka did not move from his knelt position, and continued to stare blankly at his parents' names on the cenotaph. A distant crack of lighting echoed in the sky, dark clouds getting heavy. Genma didn't say anything anymore, but remained standing a good eight feet behind Iruka, watching the slumped shoulders.

"I need to know." Genma said. "Look at me." He said softly, and surprisingly, Iruka obeyed. He slowly got to his feet and looked up, tears very visible on his cheeks. "Iruka." Genma found himself staring at the tears.

"I love you, Genma." Iruka shook his head, looking away. "Please don't let my feelings stop you from going out with A-" Iruka found himself enveloped in Genma's arms, the musky smell that he clearly remembered surrounding him. Warmth tickled his bones and somehow he didn't feel lost or alone anymore.

"That's all I needed to hear, Iruka." Genma whispered, holding him tighter. "That's all I needed to hear."

XXX

Genma took Iruka to his house, and made him sit on the couch, while he went to prepare something warm for him to drink. Genma first noticed at how much Iruka seemed to have aged in less than a year, and how some of his glow began to fade. He knew Naruto meant a lot to Iruka, but he was not expecting it to be this much. For a brief moment, he felt bitter towards Naruto for causing such effects on Iruka, but he reminded himself that even the boy had had a hard life and that his decisions should be respected. Genma did respect Naruto, he just wasn't very happy at the moment because Iruka was getting weak.

He found himself chuckling to himself as he poured some hot water into the tea mixture before stirring it. He shook his head, his hair free from the hold of his forehead protector made into a bandana. He picked the mug up and headed for the living room, to where Iruka was sitting on the couch.

"Here's your tea -" Genma stopped short when he found Iruka leaning against the armrest of his couch, eyes closed and lips slightly parted, fast asleep. He set the mug on the table and knelt before Iruka, gently lifting him up and carrying him to his bedroom. He placed him on the bed, pulled the shirt and flak jacket off and covered him with the blanket. He was about to leave but caught sight of the red healing cut on Iruka's lower lip and gently caressed the cut with his thumb. "Sleep well." He whispered and left Iruka in the room to get the much-deserved sleep he had needed for a long time.

XXX

Iruka didn't wake up till twelve hours later, in the ungodly time of three AM. He shifted in the bed, snuggling deeper in to the fluffy pillow and warm blanket before his mind kicked in to gear and he remembered falling asleep on a couch and not in a nice soft bed with the that soft and wonderful scent around him. He cracked an eye open and found a familiar wall that he remembered seeing before. He cracked his other eye open and sat himself on the bed, looking at the neat room with caution before realizing.

"Genma." He immediately got to his feet and stared at his bare chest, blushing a bright shade of red. Genma always took care of him and made sure he was not uncomfortable. But still, the blush refused to leave his cheeks. In some sick twisted way, he remembered his dream and Sharpie.

Iruka shook his head and silently made his way to the door, cracked it open and peeped in to the hallway. He found the house dim due to the light glowing from the kitchen and like bee to a flower, he made his way to the kitchen. He found Genma sitting on a stool, arms folded on the counter and head resting on top of it. Iruka felt his blush become more intense because Genma was wearing a pair of old cotton gray pants. The same pants he found himself wearing the first time he woke up in Genma's house after a heavy fever. And the thing that he didn't like about that pair of pants was that it was a bit see through and by the light of heaven, he could see his -

Iruka blushed even more when he remembered his Sharpie Dream, as his mind hideously dubbed it. He debated whether he should wake Genma up, but before he could even make a decision, Genma shifted and sat straight up.

"Been watching me, haven't you?" He said, yawning and rubbing a sleepy eye.

"Sorry. I - I found you here and well, you see, I was - well, I went to - in fact I was about to - "

Genma chuckled and turned, sliding off the stool and standing before Iruka, shirtless, beautiful and - Iruka shook his head and blushed some more. "You're so cute when you're rattled."

"I'm not rattled!" Iruka said stubbornly.

"Of course not." Genma answered and placed a gentle kiss on Iruka's shoulder before walking out of the kitchen towards the bathroom. Iruka padded back to the bedroom and sat on the bed, holding one of the fluffy pillows in his lap and staring at the parquet floor. He was aware of Genma leaving the bathroom, but he did not expect to look up and find himself looking at his thingy behind soft cotton pants. The blushing effect came immediately and Iruka found himself giving a little squeak and looking away. "So are you going to tell me?"

"Tell you what?" Iruka said, backing up against the headboard.

"Why you react like this at the sight of me." Genma said, climbing on the bed and crawling on top of Iruka until he had his hands on either side of the Chuunin's head. "Why you blush and squeak when you see me up close. Not that I'm complaining because I find it down right adorable. But I'm just curious."

"I don't do any of those things!" Iruka said.

"Oh yes you do." Genma said, nodding. "For instance, if I do this," Genma straddled Iruka's hips and ground his own against it. Iruka gave out a very loud yelp and blushed so red that Genma thought it was a new shade. "See?" Iruka blushed some more. "So are you going to tell me?"

Iruka swallowed difficultly and looked somewhere else other than Genma himself. The feeling of Genma on top of him, straddling him and wearing nothing but cotton pants was making him very uncomfortable. "Well, you see, I - I had this d-dream."

Silence.

"And?" Genma said, after several minutes of silence passed.

"In this dream, y-you w-were n-naked and well, youandIwereabouttohavesex." Iruka said quickly.

"What?" Genma asked, face twisting because he didn't understand what Iruka just said. "Mind saying that a bit slower?" Iruka promptly refused to open his mouth. "How will I understand if you don't speak properly?" Genma said, giving him the I'm-a-helpless-child-please-help-me-out look.

"I said you and I were about to have sex." Iruka managed to cough out and Genma suddenly grinned that Iruka debated on jumping out the window or locking himself in the closet, whichever one was easier.

"You dreamt of sex even before you admitted you loved me?" Genma said, grin growing bigger that Iruka wondered if Gai's grin could stretch this much.

"Well, you see, I think I loved you before that too." Iruka said shyly, blushing some more.

Genma chuckled. "Then what happened? I'm all ears." He lay on top of Iruka, folding both his hands on Iruka's chest and propping his chin on top of it, staring directly in to Iruka's dark eyes.

"Uh - well, I - umm - I called your thingy Sharpie." Iruka said.

Genma blinked. "Come again?"

"I called your thingy S-Sharpie." Iruka repeated, now trying in vain to wiggle out from under Genma's figure. "G-Genma, you're heavy." He whined.

"You called my thing Sharpie?" Genma asked, disbelieving. "Okay, so what other things did you call me when we had sex?" Iruka blushed and covered his face with his hands. "In your dream that is."

"N-Nothing." Iruka said, shaking his head.

"Liar." Genma said, peeling his hand away from his face. "There's more right?"

"It was big."

"How big?"

"Just big!" Iruka squeaked.

"Was it long?"

"Yes."

"And thick?"

"Yes! Stop asking already!"

"Did you like it?"

"I called it Sharpie!"

"Indeed you did. Did you like it?"

"Genma, you're heavy!"

"How long was I in your dream?"

"I didn't have a ruler beside me at that time!"

"You're a teacher, do a rough calculation." Genma shrugged.

"Excuse me?" Iruka blanched.

"Why won't you do it? Calculate I mean."

"Because I don't remember!"

"You have good memory! Of course you remember!"

"No I don't!"

Genma kissed his shoulder. "Yes you do! Now tell me."

"I don't remember Genma!"

"Why?"

"Because I was already begging you to fuck me senseless and because it felt so damn good! Happy?"

Genma grinned. "Want me to show you my thingy?"

"What?"

"My thingy. Sharpie I mean." Genma smiled and traced Iruka's scar with his finger.

"Genma!"

"Yes?"

"Stop it!"

"Stop what?" Genma asked, tracing his finger down Iruka's neck and rubbing at the soft flesh, causing Iruka to wiggle under him. "You were the one talking about sex and Sharpie."

"You asked!"

"Your dream!"

"This is not fair!"

"All is fair. Because you get to play Sharpie tonight." Genma said gleefully.

Iruka gasped and tried to wiggle out of Genma, the idea of the closet becoming very appealing. "It's three in the morning! How can you even think of sex and - damnit! You're heavy!"

"Admit it, you want me!" Genma bit his shoulder causing Iruka to cry out and buck under him, while he licked the bite. "Oh and just so you know," Genma pressed his lips against Iruka long and hard, pushing his tongue deep in to Iruka's mouth and shifting his legs so that he was more comfortable. "I love you." Genma whispered, breathing hard and lips raw and red from the kiss.

"I know." Iruka whispered. "Kiss me."

And Genma did.

And he did more than kiss him.

TBC

O.o That is - plain silly! 10 pages! OMG! Now I'm off to type the lemon! Wait for it, minna!

EXPLANATION TO 16:

Let's look at it this way - Iruka DOES like Genma. I mean, I didn't just write the previous chapters for nothing and there is absolutely NO WAY that after that incident in the hospital (Genma not wanting 2 see anyone - out of pride btw) that it is NOT obvious that Iruka is - well, smitten over Genma. But, here's what i think - Iruka is the type of person who tends to FORGET other things when it comes to Naruto, especially when it's about himself. So Genma, for now, is the shadow of Naruto's departure. That does NOT make him an irresponsible person, however. He just sometimes have a hard time accepting things when it comes to Naruto.

Hence, comes Raido's speech. His speech, let's say, is the ignition to Iruka's mind, which leads us to the dream. Now, I also think that Iruka is the type of person who wouldn't FORGET such a - hmmm - thing, especially when seeing Genma. Come on, dreaming about the person who you supposedly think of as friend in such a manner, and then facing him hours later after "ejaculation" isn't something I'd find Iruka to handle ... nicely. He's a nice guy, but he gets embarrassed easily. In this case, it's his mind doing the pointing out.

Iruka's mind: oh look! It's sharpie! go get him! real Iruka runs away, blushing like mad

Plus, I think they really like each other (see ALL previous chapters) but are just too either scared or prideful to admit to each other. So, umm … yah, that's my explanation. I know that I did change the "air of angst" in to - hmmm - humor? But that is how I wanted this fic to be and how I originally planned it out. A comedy-romance thing, and there is not a comedy-romance out there that does not involve a lil' angst. See "how 2 loose a guy in 10 days", "13 going on 30" and - well I forgot the titles. And it's not an excuse by the way. This is how I planned it. I was surprised and not surprised at the reader's comments.

As for this chapter, I like it! Wait, scratch that, I love it! It's probably the ONLY chapter that I can read and read again and again and not loose the grin on my face. Actually, I find this okay and quite believable. Genma being his teasing self (my excuse to that is that he spends too much time with a goofball like Raido) and Iruka being his shy and sweet self.

Now, to those hated the previous chapter, sorry. Umm … well, I guess that's your problem ne? I mean, I really can't do anything about it because everyone has different ways of thinking and tastes. So, I hope, that my little explanation above has somewhat clarified your doubts? If you call it doubts …

Answers to reviews (I was planning this for the last chapter, but oh well, here goes…)

Cdkobasiuk – Torture? Sorry, but well, sue me! I'm evil! Here's a filler though!

Midori – Iruka declining? Nah! He's just shy! points up See?

Can Hersey – Weee! I'm flattered! I'm such a review whore, really. Glad you're enjoying this. Acid hard yaoi coming right up (next chapter that is) and as for marrying you? No thanks, I'm taken!

Yuen-chan – YonIru is something I want to try you see? I don't think there's any like it out there!

Mini-Kero – Well, actually, it's just one more chapter to go? dodges fury As for the dream, I think this chapter makes it obvious ne? ne? Yes, they are desperate! Oh whatever would Sharpie do? hugs

Izumi – I'm with Raido laughing all the way, sweetie! v

Polka dot – Genma as an Uke? Hmmmm – I'll keep that in mind! A wriggling, screaming and BOTTOM Genma – Now that's eye candy, ne? Surely, Iruka wouldn't mind!

Evil Kasumi – Errrm pats pats I think my explanation up there covers up most of your uh … can't say questions coz they're not questions. But oh you know what I mean, ne? Him going in to school girl mode is just – well, oh I don't know. I guess I found it amusing. Plus, Raido seems to be getting a kick out of it. I really, really don't see how it's out of place. I mean, Iruka can switch from mad to happy and happy to pissed off in seconds – see interactions with Naruto in manga/anime – or so it seems. Since there is not much info on him in the manga/anime, I just had to make a few assumptions and compensate. It is fan fiction after all. Well, here's the next chapter anyway! Hope you enjoyed it! hugs

Riyo-sama – If it's the lemon, then yes, I'm an evil person and keeps nice sweet (or sour) things for the end. But they're together now ne? points up

Pewp – I have nothing to say really. Whether you enjoyed the fic or not is entirely up to you. Though I still find it amusing that you bothered to leave a comment. I couldn't help but giggle!

SexySiriusBlack – Ummm, Iruka apologizes because he does not know what to say. Apology seems to be the next best thing it seems. I don't think he flogges his log either laughs like a maniac Although a sick part of my mind is telling me that it would be very amusing to see THAT! There really isn't much explaining to do I'm afraid. I actually wanted this to be more of a figure-it-out thingy. But oh well, I do hope that this chapter clarified things. Looks like you don't have to worry about this fic not finishing before October 11 ne? (Did I get the date right?)

Chichai-raion – Sharpie is actually a pen marker brand. Got the idea from it really. I'm still thinking of YonIru. Just not sure how to start it at the mo'. One more chapter to go liao!

Kamikakushi – Wah! I'm flattered! I really go floating in the sky when people enjoy my works! hugs Jumped a bit – maybe. Ah, well, it was necessary. Genma is prone to rejection indeed, but a funny thing is that Iruka never really rejected him. Kinda'. YonIru is a bit beyond the border isn't it? But that is why I want to try it! It's a challenge to pull it off ne?

Toki Mirage – Errr…I did write it at the bottom of my story dear. YonIru is being pondered upon! And here's the update! One more chapter to go! Weeeeee!

Blahsih – Ah, glad you enjoyed it! I'm giving YonIru a shot, but well, it's going to be kinda' difficult to pull it off, but I'm willing to give it a try!

Isolde – Here's mooooooooooore! For some reason, reading your review reminded me of the Pepsi Ad! No more withdrawal symptoms I hope.

Dragon101 – Updated and running! And they are already together! Looks like you got what you want ne?

Chibified Kitsunes – Aren't we all jealous of Iruka! Playing with Sharpie like that! You silly man you! Oh! Hope you enjoyed this!

Renn – Ah, you'll be seeing more Sharpies in the next chapter. I hope I didn't cause you any trauma O.o hugs

EscagirlUK – Errr…if anyone has to die of over-angst, that should be Sasuke. And Naruto was really thinking of running away. And he did runaway. The whole him having a crush on somebody was just Iruka's guess. This fic is actually a side-story to my other fic WHY NOT which has KakaNaru in it. Basically, that's Naruto's side of the story! Here's an update!

O.o Phew! That looked … a lot!

Oh well, one hardcore lemon coming up! So, how many rounds of sex should there be? One or two? Your pick!

Toodles!