Corn Fields and Coral Reefs
see original summary, disclaimers, and warnings on the first and second chapters
Chapter #3
"Ah, Shit!" Iruka dashed to the stove, but unfortunately toppled over the same chair he had earlier, which had apparently decided that it liked to be in the way. Iruka fell forward as he tripped, and saw stars when his head hit the oven door. To make matters worse, the impact of his head crashing against the door caused the water kettle to topple over and spill it's scalding contents onto the poor, dazed Iruka
Feeling something pat his face to get him to focus, Iruka slowly realized that he was looking up into Kakashi's masked and bandaged face. "You really are a klutz, you know that?" The silver haired ninja asked, as he sort of spun in Iruka's field of vision.
Iruka groaned and sat up, pushing Kakashi's hand away, and rubbing his head where he'd smacked it into the oven door. His head by now was pounding...he'd hit it twice within two minutes, and his dizzy gaze slowly focused beyond Kakashi to the kettle lying on the floor, the water surrounding it on the floor still steaming. He reached up to touch his face, half expecting it to be scalded off or something, but besides the lumps on his head he was fine.
He groaned again and held his head, he felt dizzy and a little sick to his stomach. Not only that, but Kakashi had apparently saved him, not that the situation was really life threatening or anything but it was damn embarrassing in Iruka's opinion. If his head hadn't hurt so much he would have told Kakashi to leave...he wanted to yell but his head couldn't even stand the lights from over-head shining in his eyes at this point in time.
He closed his eyes in the hopes that somehow Kakashi would disappear if he couldn't see him, and felt something being lightly placed on his head and left there. Only half caring, Iruka reached up a hand to feel the file folder sitting on his head, and pulled it down, looking at it, as if trying to look through it or something. Not bothering to open it, Iruka placed it down on the floor and continued to hold his aching head. He didn't want to look at it anymore, it probably just held a list of all the times he'd goofed off in class just to get attention.
With his eyes closed Iruka was vaguely aware of Kakashi's movements as he opened his fridge freezer and pulled something out, probably the ice cream Iruka had stashed away in there. At this point, however, he didn't care if Kakashi was stealing his ice cream, he just wanted his head to stop aching and the world to stop spinning. He heard something clinking in the kitchen and pretended not to hear, so it was a complete surprise when he suddenly found something cold being pressed against the sore on his head.
Iruka opened one eye to find Kakashi kneeling beside him, holding an ice bag in place. "Do you think you can stand?" He asked. Iruka was a little surprised when he heard the slight concern in the ninja's voice. He didn't nod his head for fear that it might fall off, but he did try to get his feet under him and stand with Kakashi's help.
His legs didn't seem to want to hold him up but he used every ounce of strength he had and eventually was able to stand without feeling like he was going to totally collapse. It was more a determination not to embarrass himself any further that did it, since the room was still spinning uncontrollably.
"Alright, now try walking..." Kakashi said, still holding onto him so Iruka wouldn't fall over. Iruka winced and took a step, then another, with no real idea as to where he was going. Soon, however, he found himself in his dimly lit bedroom, and was a little confused because he couldn't remember getting there. Kakashi apparently had a hand in that, because he was now helping Iruka into bed. He placed the ice pack on Iruka's head again, and disappeared. Iruka was too out of it to even notices the older ninja's presence was gone. Closing his eyes, he let himself drift into unconsciousness, not caring about anything else.
When he awoke, how long afterwards he didn't know since his room was always dark as a tomb, he felt much better and was able to sit up without feeling like his head would explode. The ice pack slipped off his head and landed in his lap and he yawned, stretching lazily. A pleasant odor caught his nostrils and he glanced over to find two sandwiches and a thermos sitting on his bedside table.
Not questioning where the food offering had come from, Iruka reached for the thermos and opened it. He was thankful for the fact that it was only full of water...his empty stomach would not have been able to handle orange juice or something right now. Talking a sip of the water, he grabbed one sandwich and examined it. It was peanut butter and jam.
He blinked and looked at the sandwich for a while...when was the last time he'd had either peanut butter or jam in his house at the same time? He shrugged and took a bite, then practically inhaled both sandwiches and the thermos of water. Finished, he lay back down and patted his full stomach in contentment, wondering what time it was.
Since he only had one clock in his entire house, Iruka sighed and dragged his feet out of bed and to the kitchen, then stood in front of the microwave, blinking sleepily at the glowing numbers. 1:45 am. Too damn early, Iruka thought to himself then drug his feet back to his room and turned on his bedside light. That was when he noticed the brown folder lying on the floor by his feet.
Rubbing at his sleep filled eyes, he slowly reached down and picked it up, then sat on his bed by the lamplight and opened the folder. A small piece of paper not enclosed in a paper clip slipped out and fluttered to the ground, landing at his feet. Curious, Iruka placed the open folder on his pillow and bent to pick it up.
Thinking it was probably nothing more than a progress report on him, Iruka barely gave it a thought as he began to read. Iruka took a sip of water, then nearly chocked on it when his eyes read the words. He had to go back and re-read what he had just read to confirm that he was not hallucinating.
Yes, it was! This was a letter to the Hokage written by one of his teachers and it was about him! It started out ordinary, as most letters do, but when he got to the second paragraph, Iruka didn't know what to think.
He stared at the words and practically dropped the thermos of water in surprise. Putting the thermos back on his bedside table, he grabbed the paper with both hands and read rapidly through the words. It was by his teacher, and basically outlined his concerns about Iruka having lost his parents to the fox demon, and his change in classroom behavior. His teacher went on to say that he was afraid that Iruka might have been traumatized by having witnessed the ordeal, and may never be able to live a normal life because of it.
Iruka didn't know whether to be relieved that they were taking an interest in his welfare, or be mad that they talked of him as if he was crazy. But since the date on the letter was almost 3 years old, Iruka figured they hadn't really taken his welfare seriously at all. Sure, there was a letter, but what good had come of it in the five years since it had been written? He felt just as miserable then as he did now, and how could seeing your parents die while fighting a monster not affect anyone of any age?
Finally, he crumpled up the letter and threw it across the room in frustration. It bounced off his closed door and came to a stop on the floor, the white a stark contrast to his dark carpeting. He held his head with his hands and just stared at his feet for a long time. He knew he should be going back to sleep, he had school in the morning, but the letter was eating him up inside. His teacher had worried that he was going to turn into a problem child and that's just what happened to him...why had no one tried to stop it?
Because no one cared, that's why. Everyone else was so caught up in their own lives they didn't have the time to spare one little orphan from turning into a delinquent. Sure he had a small apartment that was provided for him by the village, and an allowance for food and other stuff, but who had actually taken the time to see if he really was alright? Who had cared enough to come and comfort him when he was so alone?
Alone...man was he ever alone, he thought miserably to himself. At school, even though he tried to hard to get everyone to recognize him, he had no friends at all, all the teachers did was badger him about his homework, and after all of that he had to come home to an empty house, and feel even more alone. And now he had to spend untold hours with this Kakashi person who seemed to dislike him and enjoyed teasing him all the time.
Iruka flopped himself down on the pillow, he was just making himself feel even worse by thinking about yesterday, because today sucked, and it was only one in the morning. This was not going to be a good day at all. Reaching out a hand blindly, Iruka flicked off the lamp. With any luck he would sleep away the first period, and maybe the second, then it would be lunch and what was the point in going to school after lunch?
He closed his eyes and in minutes was sleeping, the folder and crumpled up letter all but forgotten by his dream filled mind.
Iruka slept through first period...he slept through lunch...in fact, he slept through the entire day, snoring happily away in dreamland...little did he know that his peace was about to be very rudely interrupted...
Iruka sat up, wide awake when something very cold and very wet drenched him from head to toe. Gasping in shock, he looked up to see Kakashi sitting on his windowsill holding a now empty bucket.
"Good morning!" the masked Ninja said happily, "Actually, it's more like Good afternoon...really, do you always let your guard down so anyone can sneak into your home?" Iruka shivered and stared dumbly as Kakashi nattered on like he had nothing better to do than annoy Iruka. "I've been here for almost 10 minutes watching you sleep, you know. Is that any way to treat a guest?"
"What is wrong with...achoo!" Iruka sneezed and sniffled loudly, glaring at Kakashi. "You know you could have just knocked."
"Tried that." Kakashi jumped down and landed silently, standing on Iruka's pillow. He bent down and grinned in Iruka's face. "But apparently you were too far into la la land to hear me, so I had to find alternative ways inside."
Iruka answered that grin with a glare, "Well, thanks to your 'alternative way', I now have a soaked bed, which won't be dry by the time I need it again!" Muttering threats under his breath, Iruka stripped his bed of sheets and blankets and hung them up on his closet door. But his mattress? There was no way he was going to be able to sleep in it tonight, and it wasn't like he could sleep on the couch. He didn't have one, so that was kind of impossible.
"Really?" Kakashi poked the soaked mattress with one finger. "I'd sleep on this."
"What the hell, are you insane?!" Iruka demanded, hands twitching for the opportunity to strangle this nuisance.
"Meh, it's better than sleeping with a rock for a pillow." Kakashi shrugged, then turned back to Iruka. "Anyway, you ready for your lessons?"
"I didn't go to school today, therefore I don't have to..." Iruka started.
Kakashi looked up and poked Iruka in the nose, "That is exactly why you are getting a lesson today." he said and grinned under the mask at Iurka's dumbfounded expression. "I was paid to tutor you, and I never leave a mission unfinished. Plus you're failing all your subjects and your teachers are pretty desperate at this point."
Iruka turned his head and glared at the ground "Pfft, like they care." He pouted.
"I could care less weather they do or not." Kakashi replied, and shoved something into Iruka's mouth before he could retaliate. "Here, eat this and lets get going, I'm taking you out on the field today." Kakashi said. "And maybe you should take that apron off before you leave the house." he pointed out.
Iruka had to swallow whatever it was that Kakashi had shoved into his mouth if he did not want to choke on it. He blushed a little while pulling off the apron, but didn't bother with the rest of his clothing, they were the last clean pair he had anyway so it wouldn't matter if he changed or not. Iruka wondered while he fixed his topknot why Kakashi was taking this dumb tutor thing so seriously.
He turned his head to find Kakashi rummaging through his closet. "H- hey, what are you doing?" he asked, way past the point of understanding why this guy did anything.
"Looking for your training equipment, where is it?" Kakashi asked, throwing things out of the closet. Iruka blinked as he watched this, he really had no idea where it was.
"Ummm..." he said unintelligently as he thought. Kakashi looked at him in disbelief, and when Iruka saw the look he glared back, "I'm failing, what did you expect?" he demanded.
Kakashi sighed with annoyance, "We might as well get your camping gear out too. If we wait any longer we're going to be spending the night in the forest."
"Hey, no one said I had to sleep outside..." Iruka started to complain, and Kakashi just looked at him.
"Hey, I'm your tutor now so you'll do what I tell you to, now where's your camping gear." Kakashi retorted. Apparently the calm coolness he had maintained yesterday was peeling slightly for some reason.
"I don't have any, 'Tutor'" Iruka answered sarcastically, crossing his arms over his chest in defiance
"Well I guess that means you're sleeping outside tonight then." Kakashi turned back to his task of looking for Iruka's equipment, "Pity, the weather man said there was going to be rain tonight." Iruka stared at him in shock, this was no tutor, he was some kind of slave driver.
Kakashi finally gave up on the closet and looked under Iruka's bed. "Eureka!" he cried in triumph and pulled out an extremely dusty box. He blew on it and coughed from the massive layer of dust that came off the thing. "Man, don't you know how to clean?" he complained, and pulled the lid off. All of the training equipment inside was totally shiny and obviously had never really been used before. 'Oh geeze...just when I thought this assignment couldn't get any harder...' He thought to himself and stood up with the box tucked under his arm. "Well lets get moving." He told Iruka, who was still staring at him in shock.
"W-Wait a minute!" Iruka called out to Kakashi, who did not wait. He groaned and followed him out of his apartment. Stretching his legs to catch up, Iruka glared at Kakashi again. "Why do you care so much if your 'mission' is completed?" He asked, panting for breath.
Kakashi sighed and looked at Iruka, and in a very serious voice answered: "I finished my book last night and then next one just came out."
Iruka stared at him in complete disbelief. "What does that have to do with dragging me out into the wilderness?!" he demanded, throwing his hands up in the air while trying to keep up with the older ninja.
"Your instructor told me that I don't get paid until you start to show improvement, and normal methods won't work on you so I have to take drastic measures." Kakashi explained.
"What, you mean your putting me through hell just so you can afford a stupid book?" Iruka choked out.
Kakashi didn't answer Iruka's emotional outburst and just continued walking towards the forest. Iruka tried to calm himself down, but it was hard. Kakashi didn't care if he liked it or not, all he cared about was that stupid book, something that he could do with out if he bloody well had to. "You can be just damn well illiterate for all I care!" Iruka found himself yelling. "You don't care about me, so why should I care about your stupid perverted book?!"
Kakashi stopped but didn't look behind him as Iruka took a few steps backwards, the familiar feeling of tears stinging his eyes. "You can just tell the damned academy to leave me the hell alone from now on and ask them to give you a new student, I don't care anymore!" He yelled. "I don't want to be a ninja!" With that last outburst he turned and fled down the street.
Kakashi sighed, had he mentioned that he hated this assignment? He did? Well it needed to be repeated. 'Why is that brat, such a ...well brat?' Sighing again, he followed his student ninja stealthily as he ran off. No use letting him know he was being followed, and maybe Kakashi could find out something. Hey, Kakashi loved his books.
With relative ease, he tailed the young topnotted boy as he ran in what appeared to be a blind fashion through the streets. Kakashi was starting to get annoyed...did this kid lack any sort of sense at all? He was going to hurt himself at this rate and then Kakashi would be held responsible for it. At last Iruka slowed, then eventually stopped, leaning on a tree for support...he'd run out of breath from running willy-nilly through the streets.
Iruka puffed for breath as he slowed to a walk, he was near his destination and it wouldn't do for someone to see him running through the graveyard. He knew the place well, it was a place were he would go when he was feeling lonely...well that had been until the grounds keeper said he shouldn't be coming and disturbing their rest so often with trivial matters, but right then Iruka didn't care.
He stumbled into the graveyard and wound his way through it expertly...he'd been there so many times before and it never really changed much. At last finding the graves he was looking for he collapsed in front of them, exhausted and miserable. Kakashi appeared in a tree overhead, unknown to Iruka.
Iruka stayed there for quite some time, simply crying. He hated his life, he missed his parents, and would have given anything for their return. After a while his eyes were too tired to cry any more, but he didn't get up from the ground where he had flung himself. He didn't even bother to move when he heard the sound of feet landing beside him.
Whoever it was squatted down beside him to read the inscriptions on the tombstones wordlessly. "Your parents..." Kakashi's voice suddenly said, but Iruka still did not look up, or bother to be surprised that he had found him there. "How did they die?" Kakashi asked.
"The Fox..." Iruka's hoarse voice whispered, he didn't bother to look up at Kakashi, it wasn't like he cared, no one did.
"Many Ninjas died that night....not just your parents." Kakashi said as he sat down beside Iruka, "They were trying to save everyone, and unfortunately many lost their lives."
Iruka shivered, trying not to cry again, "I-I know," He managed to get out. "I know lots of other people died. Including the 4th! But after...after it was over I was alone! No one cared! I was just an inconvenience to everyone! Even you!"
Kakashi blinked. "What makes you think I don't care?" he asked. Iruka looked at him like he was a slug or something.
"Gee I dunno...maybe it's the fact that you hate me?" He answered sarcastically.
"I don't hate you, I find you to be an irritating brat." Kakashi corrected him.
"....Why did I even bother...?" Iruka muttered miserably and hid his head again, not caring that the ground was wet.
Kakashi sighed, he really was not that good at dealing with people...well making them feel inferior and pissing them off were not good people skills. Why couldn't he get though to the younger boy? It wasn't like Kakashi hadn't lost someone too to that damed fox. But still it was kinda frustrating, and as Kakashi sat lost in his thoughts, a light snoring came from beside him. Iruka apparently had fallen asleep.
He turned his head to look at Iruka, wondering for a moment how someone so adamant about not sleeping on the ground could have fallen asleep in a graveyard so easily. Then an idea came to him, and he smiled to himself, reaching down to pick up the prone boy.
TBC...
GASP! What is Kakashi planning on doing to poor Iruka?...many things come to mind... most of them scary... anyway find out in the next chapter! Muahahahaha!!!...yeah.
Thanks to all of you who reviewed!
The story is set about 9 years in the past, so Kakashi is 17, Iruka is 15 but he's only one year younger then Kakashi (he will turn 16 at some point...). We actually did research to find out everyone's age . it was very, very hard and time consuming...considering people only ever put up the main characters and not any of the minor characters. . And yes there shall be GenmaHayate later on in the story... but that's later.
Please review, its like air to us...we need it to live!
Oh and we would like to thank 'Rukida AKA Me' ...just because we died laughing when we saw your review
see original summary, disclaimers, and warnings on the first and second chapters
Chapter #3
"Ah, Shit!" Iruka dashed to the stove, but unfortunately toppled over the same chair he had earlier, which had apparently decided that it liked to be in the way. Iruka fell forward as he tripped, and saw stars when his head hit the oven door. To make matters worse, the impact of his head crashing against the door caused the water kettle to topple over and spill it's scalding contents onto the poor, dazed Iruka
Feeling something pat his face to get him to focus, Iruka slowly realized that he was looking up into Kakashi's masked and bandaged face. "You really are a klutz, you know that?" The silver haired ninja asked, as he sort of spun in Iruka's field of vision.
Iruka groaned and sat up, pushing Kakashi's hand away, and rubbing his head where he'd smacked it into the oven door. His head by now was pounding...he'd hit it twice within two minutes, and his dizzy gaze slowly focused beyond Kakashi to the kettle lying on the floor, the water surrounding it on the floor still steaming. He reached up to touch his face, half expecting it to be scalded off or something, but besides the lumps on his head he was fine.
He groaned again and held his head, he felt dizzy and a little sick to his stomach. Not only that, but Kakashi had apparently saved him, not that the situation was really life threatening or anything but it was damn embarrassing in Iruka's opinion. If his head hadn't hurt so much he would have told Kakashi to leave...he wanted to yell but his head couldn't even stand the lights from over-head shining in his eyes at this point in time.
He closed his eyes in the hopes that somehow Kakashi would disappear if he couldn't see him, and felt something being lightly placed on his head and left there. Only half caring, Iruka reached up a hand to feel the file folder sitting on his head, and pulled it down, looking at it, as if trying to look through it or something. Not bothering to open it, Iruka placed it down on the floor and continued to hold his aching head. He didn't want to look at it anymore, it probably just held a list of all the times he'd goofed off in class just to get attention.
With his eyes closed Iruka was vaguely aware of Kakashi's movements as he opened his fridge freezer and pulled something out, probably the ice cream Iruka had stashed away in there. At this point, however, he didn't care if Kakashi was stealing his ice cream, he just wanted his head to stop aching and the world to stop spinning. He heard something clinking in the kitchen and pretended not to hear, so it was a complete surprise when he suddenly found something cold being pressed against the sore on his head.
Iruka opened one eye to find Kakashi kneeling beside him, holding an ice bag in place. "Do you think you can stand?" He asked. Iruka was a little surprised when he heard the slight concern in the ninja's voice. He didn't nod his head for fear that it might fall off, but he did try to get his feet under him and stand with Kakashi's help.
His legs didn't seem to want to hold him up but he used every ounce of strength he had and eventually was able to stand without feeling like he was going to totally collapse. It was more a determination not to embarrass himself any further that did it, since the room was still spinning uncontrollably.
"Alright, now try walking..." Kakashi said, still holding onto him so Iruka wouldn't fall over. Iruka winced and took a step, then another, with no real idea as to where he was going. Soon, however, he found himself in his dimly lit bedroom, and was a little confused because he couldn't remember getting there. Kakashi apparently had a hand in that, because he was now helping Iruka into bed. He placed the ice pack on Iruka's head again, and disappeared. Iruka was too out of it to even notices the older ninja's presence was gone. Closing his eyes, he let himself drift into unconsciousness, not caring about anything else.
When he awoke, how long afterwards he didn't know since his room was always dark as a tomb, he felt much better and was able to sit up without feeling like his head would explode. The ice pack slipped off his head and landed in his lap and he yawned, stretching lazily. A pleasant odor caught his nostrils and he glanced over to find two sandwiches and a thermos sitting on his bedside table.
Not questioning where the food offering had come from, Iruka reached for the thermos and opened it. He was thankful for the fact that it was only full of water...his empty stomach would not have been able to handle orange juice or something right now. Talking a sip of the water, he grabbed one sandwich and examined it. It was peanut butter and jam.
He blinked and looked at the sandwich for a while...when was the last time he'd had either peanut butter or jam in his house at the same time? He shrugged and took a bite, then practically inhaled both sandwiches and the thermos of water. Finished, he lay back down and patted his full stomach in contentment, wondering what time it was.
Since he only had one clock in his entire house, Iruka sighed and dragged his feet out of bed and to the kitchen, then stood in front of the microwave, blinking sleepily at the glowing numbers. 1:45 am. Too damn early, Iruka thought to himself then drug his feet back to his room and turned on his bedside light. That was when he noticed the brown folder lying on the floor by his feet.
Rubbing at his sleep filled eyes, he slowly reached down and picked it up, then sat on his bed by the lamplight and opened the folder. A small piece of paper not enclosed in a paper clip slipped out and fluttered to the ground, landing at his feet. Curious, Iruka placed the open folder on his pillow and bent to pick it up.
Thinking it was probably nothing more than a progress report on him, Iruka barely gave it a thought as he began to read. Iruka took a sip of water, then nearly chocked on it when his eyes read the words. He had to go back and re-read what he had just read to confirm that he was not hallucinating.
Yes, it was! This was a letter to the Hokage written by one of his teachers and it was about him! It started out ordinary, as most letters do, but when he got to the second paragraph, Iruka didn't know what to think.
He stared at the words and practically dropped the thermos of water in surprise. Putting the thermos back on his bedside table, he grabbed the paper with both hands and read rapidly through the words. It was by his teacher, and basically outlined his concerns about Iruka having lost his parents to the fox demon, and his change in classroom behavior. His teacher went on to say that he was afraid that Iruka might have been traumatized by having witnessed the ordeal, and may never be able to live a normal life because of it.
Iruka didn't know whether to be relieved that they were taking an interest in his welfare, or be mad that they talked of him as if he was crazy. But since the date on the letter was almost 3 years old, Iruka figured they hadn't really taken his welfare seriously at all. Sure, there was a letter, but what good had come of it in the five years since it had been written? He felt just as miserable then as he did now, and how could seeing your parents die while fighting a monster not affect anyone of any age?
Finally, he crumpled up the letter and threw it across the room in frustration. It bounced off his closed door and came to a stop on the floor, the white a stark contrast to his dark carpeting. He held his head with his hands and just stared at his feet for a long time. He knew he should be going back to sleep, he had school in the morning, but the letter was eating him up inside. His teacher had worried that he was going to turn into a problem child and that's just what happened to him...why had no one tried to stop it?
Because no one cared, that's why. Everyone else was so caught up in their own lives they didn't have the time to spare one little orphan from turning into a delinquent. Sure he had a small apartment that was provided for him by the village, and an allowance for food and other stuff, but who had actually taken the time to see if he really was alright? Who had cared enough to come and comfort him when he was so alone?
Alone...man was he ever alone, he thought miserably to himself. At school, even though he tried to hard to get everyone to recognize him, he had no friends at all, all the teachers did was badger him about his homework, and after all of that he had to come home to an empty house, and feel even more alone. And now he had to spend untold hours with this Kakashi person who seemed to dislike him and enjoyed teasing him all the time.
Iruka flopped himself down on the pillow, he was just making himself feel even worse by thinking about yesterday, because today sucked, and it was only one in the morning. This was not going to be a good day at all. Reaching out a hand blindly, Iruka flicked off the lamp. With any luck he would sleep away the first period, and maybe the second, then it would be lunch and what was the point in going to school after lunch?
He closed his eyes and in minutes was sleeping, the folder and crumpled up letter all but forgotten by his dream filled mind.
Iruka slept through first period...he slept through lunch...in fact, he slept through the entire day, snoring happily away in dreamland...little did he know that his peace was about to be very rudely interrupted...
Iruka sat up, wide awake when something very cold and very wet drenched him from head to toe. Gasping in shock, he looked up to see Kakashi sitting on his windowsill holding a now empty bucket.
"Good morning!" the masked Ninja said happily, "Actually, it's more like Good afternoon...really, do you always let your guard down so anyone can sneak into your home?" Iruka shivered and stared dumbly as Kakashi nattered on like he had nothing better to do than annoy Iruka. "I've been here for almost 10 minutes watching you sleep, you know. Is that any way to treat a guest?"
"What is wrong with...achoo!" Iruka sneezed and sniffled loudly, glaring at Kakashi. "You know you could have just knocked."
"Tried that." Kakashi jumped down and landed silently, standing on Iruka's pillow. He bent down and grinned in Iruka's face. "But apparently you were too far into la la land to hear me, so I had to find alternative ways inside."
Iruka answered that grin with a glare, "Well, thanks to your 'alternative way', I now have a soaked bed, which won't be dry by the time I need it again!" Muttering threats under his breath, Iruka stripped his bed of sheets and blankets and hung them up on his closet door. But his mattress? There was no way he was going to be able to sleep in it tonight, and it wasn't like he could sleep on the couch. He didn't have one, so that was kind of impossible.
"Really?" Kakashi poked the soaked mattress with one finger. "I'd sleep on this."
"What the hell, are you insane?!" Iruka demanded, hands twitching for the opportunity to strangle this nuisance.
"Meh, it's better than sleeping with a rock for a pillow." Kakashi shrugged, then turned back to Iruka. "Anyway, you ready for your lessons?"
"I didn't go to school today, therefore I don't have to..." Iruka started.
Kakashi looked up and poked Iruka in the nose, "That is exactly why you are getting a lesson today." he said and grinned under the mask at Iurka's dumbfounded expression. "I was paid to tutor you, and I never leave a mission unfinished. Plus you're failing all your subjects and your teachers are pretty desperate at this point."
Iruka turned his head and glared at the ground "Pfft, like they care." He pouted.
"I could care less weather they do or not." Kakashi replied, and shoved something into Iruka's mouth before he could retaliate. "Here, eat this and lets get going, I'm taking you out on the field today." Kakashi said. "And maybe you should take that apron off before you leave the house." he pointed out.
Iruka had to swallow whatever it was that Kakashi had shoved into his mouth if he did not want to choke on it. He blushed a little while pulling off the apron, but didn't bother with the rest of his clothing, they were the last clean pair he had anyway so it wouldn't matter if he changed or not. Iruka wondered while he fixed his topknot why Kakashi was taking this dumb tutor thing so seriously.
He turned his head to find Kakashi rummaging through his closet. "H- hey, what are you doing?" he asked, way past the point of understanding why this guy did anything.
"Looking for your training equipment, where is it?" Kakashi asked, throwing things out of the closet. Iruka blinked as he watched this, he really had no idea where it was.
"Ummm..." he said unintelligently as he thought. Kakashi looked at him in disbelief, and when Iruka saw the look he glared back, "I'm failing, what did you expect?" he demanded.
Kakashi sighed with annoyance, "We might as well get your camping gear out too. If we wait any longer we're going to be spending the night in the forest."
"Hey, no one said I had to sleep outside..." Iruka started to complain, and Kakashi just looked at him.
"Hey, I'm your tutor now so you'll do what I tell you to, now where's your camping gear." Kakashi retorted. Apparently the calm coolness he had maintained yesterday was peeling slightly for some reason.
"I don't have any, 'Tutor'" Iruka answered sarcastically, crossing his arms over his chest in defiance
"Well I guess that means you're sleeping outside tonight then." Kakashi turned back to his task of looking for Iruka's equipment, "Pity, the weather man said there was going to be rain tonight." Iruka stared at him in shock, this was no tutor, he was some kind of slave driver.
Kakashi finally gave up on the closet and looked under Iruka's bed. "Eureka!" he cried in triumph and pulled out an extremely dusty box. He blew on it and coughed from the massive layer of dust that came off the thing. "Man, don't you know how to clean?" he complained, and pulled the lid off. All of the training equipment inside was totally shiny and obviously had never really been used before. 'Oh geeze...just when I thought this assignment couldn't get any harder...' He thought to himself and stood up with the box tucked under his arm. "Well lets get moving." He told Iruka, who was still staring at him in shock.
"W-Wait a minute!" Iruka called out to Kakashi, who did not wait. He groaned and followed him out of his apartment. Stretching his legs to catch up, Iruka glared at Kakashi again. "Why do you care so much if your 'mission' is completed?" He asked, panting for breath.
Kakashi sighed and looked at Iruka, and in a very serious voice answered: "I finished my book last night and then next one just came out."
Iruka stared at him in complete disbelief. "What does that have to do with dragging me out into the wilderness?!" he demanded, throwing his hands up in the air while trying to keep up with the older ninja.
"Your instructor told me that I don't get paid until you start to show improvement, and normal methods won't work on you so I have to take drastic measures." Kakashi explained.
"What, you mean your putting me through hell just so you can afford a stupid book?" Iruka choked out.
Kakashi didn't answer Iruka's emotional outburst and just continued walking towards the forest. Iruka tried to calm himself down, but it was hard. Kakashi didn't care if he liked it or not, all he cared about was that stupid book, something that he could do with out if he bloody well had to. "You can be just damn well illiterate for all I care!" Iruka found himself yelling. "You don't care about me, so why should I care about your stupid perverted book?!"
Kakashi stopped but didn't look behind him as Iruka took a few steps backwards, the familiar feeling of tears stinging his eyes. "You can just tell the damned academy to leave me the hell alone from now on and ask them to give you a new student, I don't care anymore!" He yelled. "I don't want to be a ninja!" With that last outburst he turned and fled down the street.
Kakashi sighed, had he mentioned that he hated this assignment? He did? Well it needed to be repeated. 'Why is that brat, such a ...well brat?' Sighing again, he followed his student ninja stealthily as he ran off. No use letting him know he was being followed, and maybe Kakashi could find out something. Hey, Kakashi loved his books.
With relative ease, he tailed the young topnotted boy as he ran in what appeared to be a blind fashion through the streets. Kakashi was starting to get annoyed...did this kid lack any sort of sense at all? He was going to hurt himself at this rate and then Kakashi would be held responsible for it. At last Iruka slowed, then eventually stopped, leaning on a tree for support...he'd run out of breath from running willy-nilly through the streets.
Iruka puffed for breath as he slowed to a walk, he was near his destination and it wouldn't do for someone to see him running through the graveyard. He knew the place well, it was a place were he would go when he was feeling lonely...well that had been until the grounds keeper said he shouldn't be coming and disturbing their rest so often with trivial matters, but right then Iruka didn't care.
He stumbled into the graveyard and wound his way through it expertly...he'd been there so many times before and it never really changed much. At last finding the graves he was looking for he collapsed in front of them, exhausted and miserable. Kakashi appeared in a tree overhead, unknown to Iruka.
Iruka stayed there for quite some time, simply crying. He hated his life, he missed his parents, and would have given anything for their return. After a while his eyes were too tired to cry any more, but he didn't get up from the ground where he had flung himself. He didn't even bother to move when he heard the sound of feet landing beside him.
Whoever it was squatted down beside him to read the inscriptions on the tombstones wordlessly. "Your parents..." Kakashi's voice suddenly said, but Iruka still did not look up, or bother to be surprised that he had found him there. "How did they die?" Kakashi asked.
"The Fox..." Iruka's hoarse voice whispered, he didn't bother to look up at Kakashi, it wasn't like he cared, no one did.
"Many Ninjas died that night....not just your parents." Kakashi said as he sat down beside Iruka, "They were trying to save everyone, and unfortunately many lost their lives."
Iruka shivered, trying not to cry again, "I-I know," He managed to get out. "I know lots of other people died. Including the 4th! But after...after it was over I was alone! No one cared! I was just an inconvenience to everyone! Even you!"
Kakashi blinked. "What makes you think I don't care?" he asked. Iruka looked at him like he was a slug or something.
"Gee I dunno...maybe it's the fact that you hate me?" He answered sarcastically.
"I don't hate you, I find you to be an irritating brat." Kakashi corrected him.
"....Why did I even bother...?" Iruka muttered miserably and hid his head again, not caring that the ground was wet.
Kakashi sighed, he really was not that good at dealing with people...well making them feel inferior and pissing them off were not good people skills. Why couldn't he get though to the younger boy? It wasn't like Kakashi hadn't lost someone too to that damed fox. But still it was kinda frustrating, and as Kakashi sat lost in his thoughts, a light snoring came from beside him. Iruka apparently had fallen asleep.
He turned his head to look at Iruka, wondering for a moment how someone so adamant about not sleeping on the ground could have fallen asleep in a graveyard so easily. Then an idea came to him, and he smiled to himself, reaching down to pick up the prone boy.
TBC...
GASP! What is Kakashi planning on doing to poor Iruka?...many things come to mind... most of them scary... anyway find out in the next chapter! Muahahahaha!!!...yeah.
Thanks to all of you who reviewed!
The story is set about 9 years in the past, so Kakashi is 17, Iruka is 15 but he's only one year younger then Kakashi (he will turn 16 at some point...). We actually did research to find out everyone's age . it was very, very hard and time consuming...considering people only ever put up the main characters and not any of the minor characters. . And yes there shall be GenmaHayate later on in the story... but that's later.
Please review, its like air to us...we need it to live!
Oh and we would like to thank 'Rukida AKA Me' ...just because we died laughing when we saw your review