Title: Wishes Are Free
Author: Cheza-chan
Rating: R
Pairing: KakaIru, SasuNaru, SakuOC
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto—oh, I wish I did—but I own Kan'you, all the characters of the Hidden Wave Village. I own the Hidden Wave Village because I created it! I own the Hidden Wave Village's special jutsus, etc.
A/N: Okay, it's not the next day, but it is… :;drum roll;: …two more chapters! Well, looky there. See, that's to keep you occupied because, well, Spring Break is over, and my slow death begins once more. :;really doesn't want to go back to regularly scheduled classes;: Hopefully these chapters are better than the last ones I updated.
Chapter Twenty-Two – Stepping Stones
Iruka wasn't surprised that May changed her mind the next morning. She wanted a mass questioning, which he thought was absolutely ridiculous; why drag the entire ninja population into one room where they could be taken out in one fell swoop? Then, right before he was sent out to make the announcements, she changed her mind again. The Chuunin kept his lips pressed thin as he waited for the pacing woman to make up her mind. His own interrogation had been short, because, well… he was her right-hand man.
"How about this?" The village founder raised a finger. "Teams that are still three-man, we'll send on missions, then gather the rest in the assembly hall."
Iruka nodded slowly, smiling; personally, he liked the first idea she'd had, but right now he just wanted to go.
May laughed, clamoring over her desk to hug him. He chuckled nervously. "There's even a little room off to the side where I can hold a private session with the Jounins. I don't want the Genins to feel threatened, so I won't bother with them until tomorrow," she spoke into his shoulder. "Also, did you find the guy in the picture?"
The young man shook his head and the woman sighed.
She smiled up at him then turned him and pointed him in the direction of the door. "Only D-ranked missions today," May informed the dolphin as she gave him a nudge to get started.
"Hai, hai, May." Iruka laughed to himself as he closed the door on the woman's squeals; it didn't take much to please her. He sighed and stuck his hands into his pockets. Mentally, he calculated the teams missing and was left with seven out of twelve: Team 1, Team 3, Team 4, Team 6, Team 9, Team 11, and, surprisingly, Team 12. Everyone else was to be in the hall.
The Chuunin reached the reports room to find Kentan's team ready and waiting. The Jounin himself a certain Genin did not look particularly pleased to see him as he walked by them. Iruka's smile only broadened. He motioned them in behind him and took up a seat at the desk. Flipping open the "D" scroll, he ignored the groans from the Genins.
The dolphin exclaimed softly, able to find a mission he felt would suit them. "Forrest Bookstore, Nuri's shop, is moving to a new locaton. He needs help boxing books and moving those boxes, then moving the shelves." 'That should hold you a while.' Iruka smiled, folding his hands atop the table, and waited for the one-eyed Jounin to accept the mission.
Kentan nodded stiffly, mumbling something under his breath, then ushered his students out.
Iruka felt like he held a great power in his hands without May at his side.
Naruto stood in the far corner of the hall, away from everyone else, with a deep hard scowl on his face. Haka was the only one not intimidated by him.
She strolled over and leaned against the wall to the right of him. "Man trouble?" She smirked as her teammate facevaulted.
The blonde pushed himself away from the floor, a bandage covering his bruised nose.
The cherry-haired girl sat with him on the floor, hands idly tugging at her red halter-top; she claimed she never felt cold. "Is it?" she prodded.
"Yeah," Naruto muttered.
"Is it Sasuke?"
"Is it that obvious?" he groaned.
"Absolutely."
"Yeah, well… He hates me now, and I… I can't keep my lips off everyone else."
"Kaoru and Shikyo," the young girl said knowledgeably.
"Do I have signs on me!" the kyuubi screeched, drawing the gazes of the Jounins and a few Genins. Even though they weren't being questioned, the odd number of Genins still had to accompany their leader.
Haka smiled, shaking her head. "It's just that I know those two very well, and you… you have some kind of magnet in you that draws people." She leaned over and placed a hand over the quizzical boy's heart. "You want me to talk to Sasuke for you?" Haka asked with a smirk.
Naruto grinned, taking her hand in both of his. "That's okay. Thanks for offering!"
"Yeah, yeah. Tenko-sensei's coming."
The pair watched their team leader hurry over. Haka thought the woman looked a little flustered, but Naruto was just glad that they could finally leave. She pulled Naruto to his feet with Tenko smiling down at them as the Jounin joined them.
"What happened?" the blonde asked.
"Nothing," the woman sighed, wishing she hadn't cut her hair so she could now run her fingers through it. "Let's go."
Haka's eyes narrowed suspiciously at the woman then she turned a hot glare to Naruto as he squeezed her hand and tugged her along. They were all heading out through the sliding doors when Miki and Kaoru walked up.
Naruto released his teammate's hand to turn and stare after the boy.
Kaoru paused and glanced over his left shoulder. He smiled and the blonde grinned.
"Come on, Casanova!" Haka growled, snatching Naruto's ear between her fingers. She dragged him kicking and screaming down the hall.
No sooner had the broken team stepped outside, Naruto turned at the sound of his name being yelled. He dropped the arms he'd tucked behind his head and stared at the running Kaoru.
Upon hearing the shout, Sasuke had dropped the box he was carrying and ran outside. He watched his Konoha teammate embrace his nemesis and felt a burning in his gut that was nothing like their first night together qualifying them as lovers.
"You never know what you have until it's gone," Kentan coughed, box under his arm and an Icha Icha in his hand.
Sasuke glared at the man then looked back out in the street to see the group moving on. Maybe he could listen to Naruto just this once, and see if his excuses were believable. The brunet followed his sensei and teammates to the new building where the reading material was being taken.
§§§
Finished with his mission and questioning—which proved he was innocent—and now untransformed, Kakashi sat in Sakura's bed, back pressed to the headboard. His eyes were closed as he tried to assess the feelings the girl experienced while sitting where he now was.
The Copy Ninja opened his eye slowly, noticing the calendar at the opposite wall, and noted that they were already halfway through January. He shivered and sprang from the bed, staring back down at it. Kakashi groaned, shaking his head, and slowly walked out of the room, then out of the house. 'Aw, sh—'
"Hey," May called out as the silver-haired man turned away from her. She ran up and grabbed his arm. Her eyes widened as he faced her and she sighed. "I'm sorry… I thought you were someone… else." The woman smiled apologetically and bowed. She bypassed him and continued on her way down the street, enthusiastically returning greetings from her villagers.
The Jounin exhaled deeply, thanked the gods, and entered the house across the street from his. 'Maybe I can get Iruka alone…' "…Tonight." 'What the hell?' Kakashi was gaping under his mask at the sight of his dolphin, Naruto, and Kaoru all occupying the bed.
Iruka spotted him and smiled sheepishly, shrugging.
Naruto looked over and grinned. "Kakashi-sensei! Hotaru's spending the night."
'I sent Sasuke home hours ago…' The Jounin glanced at the bedroom at the end of the hall, then back again.
"He said he was staying at Miyako's," Iruka explained. The other man didn't need to know about the fight that exploded when the blonde and the brunets crossed paths.
'This is just great.' Kakashi scoffed softly. He'd been away from Iruka for almost two weeks, and he wanted some tender loving care. He knew it wasn't healthy to be so dependent on a relationship, especially one that would probably cease to be once they returned to Konoha, but Kakashi would savor what he had now.
Iruka shooed the boys off and they ran by the scarecrow. He stretched out with a groan then tucked his legs under him, pressing his hands atop the bed. "I'm sorry. Naruto was waiting here with him when I got back."
"Uh-huh." Kakashi entered the room, a gleam in his dark eye, and kicked the door shut.
§§§
"They don't even care," Atsuko sighed as he petted Sakura's hair lovingly. The pair sat on the roof of the girl's old house, staring at the slightly parted curtains of Iruka's bedroom. "The men are fornicating and the boys are too busy arguing. Or maybe they're all just in denial."
"I can't believe Kakashi-sensei ended up with someone like Iruka-sensei," Sakura scoffed. "He's always drooling over that ridiculous Icha Icha Paradise novel that Jiraiya writes. I half-expected him to end up with Kurenai-sensei." She pulled her knees up to her chest, tucking her head under the man's chin.
"And these names you're calling are?"
"Jiraiya? He's a perverted old man that writes sleazy novels after spying on girls while they bathe, but he's also one of the legendary Sennin of Konoha. Kurenai-sensei is a Jounin team leader of Konoha."
"And how do you know so much about Konoha?" Atsuko drawled, tilting her chin upward slightly.
She caught his smirk even though her eyes were covered, as they should have been. "Because I'm a Konoha Genin that went undercover to capture you."
"Interesting," the man laughed. "Come on. Let's go find your team. I have another mission for you for tomorrow while you're out searching for that third member of the only three-man team my army's going to have."
Sakura nodded and allowed him to easily lift her to her feet. She gave one final glance at the lighted window and then they were off.
