Title: Wishes Are Free
Author: Cheza-chan
Rating: PG-13 (for now)
Pairing: KakaIru, SasuNaru
Disclaimer: Aha! Oh... wait. Nothing to own yet? (rolls around) I know in the next chapter, I'll have tons and tons of stuff that'll be mine... all mine! (laughs maniacally, then starts choking)
A/N: I almost missed the 7-day deadline... (hangs her head) u.u I was so busy last week, and then I had a few interesting days, and the next thing you know, I'm counting days on my fingers and realize I needed to get this out by today, the 18th XO
But, anyway, thank you again for the reviews, to new reviewers and old ones alike. (does a Sugar Plum Fairy dance for no apparent reason) X3
Chapter Three - Perfect Infiltration
The remainder of the week flew by and the Monday of the mission came quicker than Iruka would've liked. Tsunade had briefed them on exactly what she wanted in the reports being turned in and escorted them to the gates of the village, her bodyguard ANBU members on the alert. She patted Naruto on the head and the boy swatted her hand away and stuck out his tongue before turning his back to her. The Hokage grinned then stuck her hands on her hips.
The Chuunin and Team 7 were without forehead protectors or clothing carrying the village's insignia. Sasuke wore a blue top similar to that of his Uchiha clan but without the symbol and the white pants, his calves and forearms still wrapped. Naruto managed without his orange jacket as it was full of Konoha symbols, keeping the pants and dark blue shirt underneath. Sakura went for a completely different look. She replaced her dress with black shorts–shuriken pouch attached on the bandages she'd wrapped around her thigh–and a deep red, short-sleeved shirt that was outlined with white. A black ribbon had also replaced her forehead protector.
Instead of the regular navy blue outfits designating their rank, they donned black like Ebisu and both Kakashi and Iruka were without the customary flak jackets; the Jounin felt slightly uncomfortable that he had to fit Icha Icha Paradise in a second weapons' holster.
Tsunade waved as they started out and Iruka spared the village and its villagers/shinobi that had come to see them off one more glance before focusing his attention on following the others. Walking alongside Kakashi, Iruka couldn't help the beads of sweat forming on his forehead from the glare tearing through his back; Sasuke was being relentless in letting the man know how much he despised him. He shifted slightly, earning Kakashi's curious stare.
The Jounin was probably the only one who still stuck out the most; he'd used a regular black cloth, folded to reduce size, and covered his Sharingan, and refused to remove his mask. Tsunade advised his to conduct surveillance from the house he was assigned.
Unable to take anymore, Iruka turned around, smiling nervously. "Sasuke, ano..."
"Urusai," the boy snapped.
That one word set off a chain reaction of great magnitude where Team 7 was concerned.
"Don't talk to Iruka-sensei like that, bastard!" Naruto yelled, fists clenched.
Sakura snapped her arms around the blonde's neck in a chokehold. "Don't call Sasuke-kun a bastard, Na-ru-to!" she snarled.
"Demo, Sakura...chan...!" He thrashed about trying to escape.
Iruka placed the noise aside and tried again. "Sasuke–"
"Urusai, oyaji."
Naruto's gagging became louder after he tried to badmouth Sasuke once again, Sakura never letting up.
Kakashi snickered softly, tilting his visible eye away from everyone. Iruka ducked his head, blushing furiously, and kept his tongue inside his head until the reached the bridge connecting Countries; the Great Naruto Bridge. Said youth was determined to run his way across–the rail his own personal bridge–but took two steps and tripped.
Sasuke stiffened against every cell in his body that told him to rescue the boy, the more rational Uchiha part of his mind reminding him that they were on a mission and simply Academy students that had limited knowledge of complex jutsus. Iruka realized this also and shrugged off his backpack, diving in after Naruto. 'If I'm lucky,' he thought as he hit the water, 'I'll be lost to the bottom of the river and not suffer anymore.' It was easy to take your life, but a person's true strength lies in how long they succeed in staying alive.
The Chuunin kicked his legs to encourage downward movement in the water. He spotted the kyuubi child splashing and kicking his way back to the surface and intercepted him, aware that Naruto would run out of air before he reached. 'Besides, Naruto would never forgive me.' He smiled inwardly.
The blonde clung to his favorite teacher even after they broke the surface, both inhaling sharply. "I remembered," Naruto chuckled breathlessly. "About the mission..."
"Good," the Chuunin smiled.
"Iruka-sensei!" Sakura yelled down. "Kakashi-sensei went to get a boat to fish you out."
"Hai!"
§§§
Tsunami answered the door and a bright smile spread across her face. A waterlogged Naruto grinned back.
"Inari-kun, there's someone special here to see you."
The young boy peeked around the corner and his eyes widened. "Naruto-no-oniichan!" he cried. The blonde stuck out his arm, fist curled into a fist as reverence to the bond they shared and his blue eyes brightened as his grin broadened when the action was returned.
"Sensei."
Iruka looked away from the laughing boys at the spoken title, only to find Kakashi conversing with the young woman. 'That's right. They've never met me.' He smiled, waiting for a break in conversation to introduce himself or to let himself be introduced, and took the time to inspect the area.
A two-story house that seemed almost like in inn with the amount of bedrooms he guessed were available. Naruto and Inari had disappeared to the right, down a hall he suspected led to the kitchen. It was a homey building; filled with love and closeness he would never experience again.
Iruka shifted, now uncomfortable. 'I need to get that teaching position at the school. I'll go crazy without anything productive to do.'
"Iruka-sensei!"
The Chuunin gasped, stepping back from the close and narrowed green eyes.
"We were calling you for almost three minutes," Sakura sighed, crossing her arms.
'Three...?' "Gomen," the man mumbled, smiling apologetically and bowing.
"You're probably just tired," Tsunami offered in his defense, smiling warmly. "May I ask your name, sensei?"
"Umino Iruka," the dolphin stated, bowing again. He sighed inwardly. 'This is why I bury myself in work... Unless occupied, my mind brings up the dreadful past.'
Kakashi took a hint from his comrade's slouched and shivering form and decided they need to get settled in. "Wari," he told Tsunami, eye curving with his polite smile. "We should be going. Iruka-sensei needs to change out of his wet clothes." As if to prove a point, the brunet young man sneezed. "Naruto's impervious to colds," Kakashi chuckled. "You can send him over later."
"All right." Tsunami waved to the group as they left, closing the door.
"Hai." Iruka looked up wearily from under the blanket wrapped around him and took the offered mug from Sasuke. Kakashi and Sakura were across the street from them, the Jounin probably catching up on his so-called reading, leaving him stuck with an irate Uchiha who would want nothing more than to take his head off, possibly with a blunt kunai. He shuddered at the thought, which left room to incorporate the need for the coffee.
"Thank you," Iruka murmured, taking a sip. His eyes slid close at the sudden, overwhelming warmth that coursed through his body. Other than losing himself in paperwork, he found comfort in a hot cup of coffee that helped him relax and also stay awake to complete his paperwork.
Sasuke stepped back and stuck his arms behind his head, staring around at his temporary house. He took note that the kitchen was to the left of the dining room he stood in and, through another door on the right that crossed a short hall, was the living room, a bland, off-green couch contrasting greatly with the cream-colored walls. Directly behind the enraptured-with-his-coffee-sensei was a door that led into a hall with stairs at the end, the bedrooms on the upper hall.
The ebony-haired young boy sighed and dropped his arms, sinking into one of the chairs at the table. He didn't like this mission already; to start ninja school all over again would be hell and he'd have to hide his Sharingan. There'd be more D-Rank missions. The thought of being Naruto's "brother" didn't bother him as much as it would've probably several months ago, and if he was lucky, he'd be paired with the blonde and Sakura. 'If luck was on my side, Iruka-sensei would teach us again.'
His dark eyes swiveled to the side and the boy raised his head to stare at the smiling Chuunin then the small mug in his hand.
"Kakashi-sensei would scold me for getting his student addicted, but you look like you need it," Iruka stated with a hint of laughter in his voice.
It was surprising that Sasuke's eyes hadn't followed him when he'd gotten up, showing him how deep in thought the boy was. He'd also seen himself in yet another child; along with Naruto, it seemed they all shared the same tragedy of having lost their family.
"We do."
Iruka blinked, closing the hand that once held coffee and chuckled. He sat in the chair across from Sasuke and formed his hands into a steeple before him on the table. "Ano... do you want to talk about... that day?"
Sasuke snorted back into the mug and the man smiled, stifling his laughter in respect to the boy's feelings, knowing he himself was just as uncomfortable with the subject. The boy placed his coffee to the side with a scowl, believing Iruka–and all other adults that drank it–had developed an acquired taste for the beverage, then crossed his arms over his chest.
"What about you and Kakashi-sensei outside that morning?" Sasuke retorted, turning the tables.
"Nothing!" Iruka squeezed his eyes shut then glared at the boy. "That's... nothing..." His face grew flushed. "Kakashi-sensei... This is not about me! You were having dreams about Naruto-kun," the teacher added in a hiss.
Sasuke slammed a fist on the table. "You allow that perverted idiot to have his way–"
"That is not true! Kakashi-sensei's never done anything to me."
"Yet."
§§§
Kakashi smirked behind his mask, thinking the same thing Sasuke had just spoken. It was amazing the things one could create with a few household appliances if they put their mind to it, he thought as he stretched the hearing apparatus further out the window.
'Naruto's finally coming. How he found the house, a mystery to even me.' The Jounin smiled broadly. 'Maybe he's borrowed the Kyuubi's distinct sense of smell.'
§§§
The door flew open and Naruto stepped in, his excited grin fading into a look of shock at Sasuke and Iruka leaning across the table, faces mere inches apart. Unaware that they were in a heated argument, the blonde jumped the gun as he always did, mumbling, "Iruka-sensei... were you going to kiss...?" The child in him screamed "I want to kiss Sasuke" but he squelched it.
Perturbed and stressed, Iruka rubbed his temples then snatched up the half-empty mug of coffee he'd mistaken for his, Sasuke unable to react in time. Realizing too late that it wasn't his coffee and already tainted, the Konoha Academy teacher choked silently, bracing himself with a hand pressed atop the table.
The Uchiha child opened his mouth to comment, but the Chuunin shot him a wide-eyed look to keep silent, both of their actions having the opposite effect on Naruto.
"Nani? Nani? Nani?" the blonde cried, rushing into the kitchen from the hall. Iruka winced whilst Sasuke sighed at the echoing thud of Naruto hitting the wooden floor face first. "Itai..."
Iruka walked around the table and knelt, helping the child into a sitting position and smiling at the bright red nose. "It's not funny," Naruto whined nasally.
The young man chuckled softly, ruffling the blonde locks. "Go tell Sakura-chan and Kakashi-sensei goodnight then come back to go to bed. I want you up early for school."
"Hai, Iruka-sensei." Naruto got to his feet, rubbing his nose, and walked back out of the house, missing Iruka's deep sigh.
"Arigatou, Sasuke-kun."
"Hn."
The dolphin smiled but dared not ruffle the ebony tresses for he liked and needed his hands. Sasuke stood in silence and disappeared into the house. Sighing again, Iruka came to his feet and retired into the kitchen to fix himself another pot of coffee to cancel the effects of the one he'd just drank.
Naruto entered the house minutes after his house buddies had dispersed, slamming the door shut with a whimper, a bright red and stinging handprint decorating his cheek. "Iruka-sensei, I'm going to bed!"
"Hai!"
He kicked off his shoes and ran down the short hall then too the stairs two at a time. There were three bedrooms on the upper hall, one on the right side by itself. 'Iruka-sensei's!' Figuring Sasuke would like being closer to the stairs, he bounded to the last room on the left, opening the door. Bright blue eyes widened and Sasuke froze, the shirt he'd just removed hanging from his hand.
"Sasuke," Naruto mumbled. "This is my room."
"You didn't pick a room! I left the other one for you because it's across from Iruka-sensei."
"...Oh."
Naruto continued looking at Sasuke, not seeing his eternal rival but a regular boy that seemed to be missing out the real opportunities of living. He grinned sheepishly, scratching the blush-covered bridge of his nose as the other's half-naked state settled in. Sasuke growled softly and rushed at him.
"Ah! Chotto...! Demo, Sasuke...!" The blonde cringed, awaiting the hit, and warily opened his eyes, finding the other just in front of him, ebony eyes narrowed in observation. Sasuke sighed, shaking his head.
"Dobe," he muttered.
Naruto grinned then acted on impulse, leaning forward to press his lips to the other boy's, wanting to see what actually kissing the Uchiha felt like. Sasuke's eyes widened and his mouth parted in a soft gasp, causing the blonde to pull back suddenly. They stared at each other with a newborn's curiosity until Sasuke pulled back his hand to complete what he should've done in the beginning.
Iruka's head fell to the side as he whimpered in frustration at the noises coming from upstairs.
A/N: Anything... Nothing? No one can help me learn about the ANBU? I tried to do a search, but all that came up was the fansubbing team that called themselves ANBU... ®(mutter) What'd they go and do that for...? Then I changed keywords so much... I ended up getting a couple of stuff about them, but... I need more... more!! (dies from lack of brain cells)
Aside from all of that–I rose from the dead–pleeeaaasseee tell me what you think! 3
