Over two years of not updating, and what do I do? I suddenly update. Out of the blue. With no say or anything. Just poof. Here you go, a new chapter to a story that's already 3 feet into the grave...I suck,. I really do! But I'm so happy that people STILL reviewed this crappy story. With two years that passed by the following happened-

A. My ability to write has gone sky high. From one sentence dialog and some crap written in between to longer, more for filling story line.

B- Naruto Manga just keeps on going and going and I'm still up to speed on everything, just more so since the last two months or so have given off LOTS of info about Kakashi.

There are just a lot of things I noticed in my last chapters that flat out sucked! Like me NOT re-reading and having words spelled so wrong even I cringed. That and I made Kakashi 100 OOC. And I hate it when other authors do that, so I hate me. But now I'm going to fix it!

Also! These chapters are going to get much less happy and more angsty. Just cause Kakashi had a messed up childhood (I would say more messed then Naruto's- in a different way of course) and Iruka seemed so lonely during his. So less funny. More in character. Better story line with dialogue and no more fragment sentences... I do believe ...

And C- I have much more of an idea of where this story will really go... But anywho- to whoever is still reading this- thank you. Thank you from the bottom of my heart that you are still interested! I mean, 116 reviews for this poorly written sack of...forget it! I'll be updating much quicker, I promise. And much better chapters to come your way...I promise?

And after nearly two years of being stopped; Here we go!

Tomorrow decided to take it's sweet time because it never really came. Iruka kept waking up every hour or so only to fall back asleep on the cold floor. Figuring the floor was indeed the problem, Iruka gathered his things and slipped back OUT of the room to lie on his couch. But sleep did not claim him like it did before, instead it left him tossing and turning on the small area of cushion and once again was awake. Being a ninja at rest that didn't really apply as rest, he got up.

Iruka's calloused knuckles wrapped around the bronze doorknob to his own bedroom and slightly opened it to look from the crack at the occupant. Maybe it was the need to see if everything in his home was alright, or maybe the fact that his couch was very uncomfortable to sleep on his couch since he was never home to properly break it in, but Iruka found himself checking in on his houseguest. He kept telling himself that he needed the sleep, and NOT to get up and NOT think about it...but failed. Being a teacher that dealt with children almost 24 hours of the day, either inside or outside of school, he knew a nap could be the only thing that kept him from throwing his lesson plan into the trash and retiring early. But the downside of taking naps in the school's teachers lounge was it only gave him- if lucky enough- an hour of nap time. That reason alone should have made him stay in bed, seeing how it was very easy to take advantage of sleep, but even he had to throw some obligations out the window.

Like with all mothers, there came that one second that made the entire world stop spinning when they opened their child's bedroom door to find that a body of certain child was not in bed. But with the rush of quick panic there came the rush of relief when that said person was found seconds later. Granted, the body was now less then a foot away from the bed, the world started to spin again. Iruka always was the worried mother hen of the village so he allowed himself a sigh of ease and gazed upon what was before him. Kakashi seemed to have perched himself onto the window sill and with the window being open, had one lean leg hanging out the edge of the building and his other leg propped up so that his elbow had a place to rest. The leg just dangled like a dead tree limb, letting the almost non existent breeze of the night air lift it about as if it was a used tissue caught in a drift. Iruka rested his frame against the side of the opened door while still holding onto the doorknob and wondered if this was what total and utter peace looked like. If it was, he wondered if it was possible for him to one day achieve such a state. Of course the last man that would find inner peace inside his mind would be Kakashi, but he sure did play the part very well at the moment.

The moonlight cast an eerie, yet calming, shadow on half the taller ninja's body and it danced around him as his uniform was also slightly moving in the breeze. Not having the headband that covered 1/3 of Kakashi's face, Iruka could see the lost and somewhat somber look that radiated from the two mismatched eyes. The scar the hugged the left cheek also seemed to come alive from the slight shadow it was giving off and the silver locks also slightly wisped in the air giving Kakashi an unhuman look. Something that Naruto gave off when he was lost in very, very, very, deep thought. To not startle Kakashi from falling from the window if he suddenly lost his balance, Iruka cleared his throat. Kakashi, to his surprise, did not even jerk when realizing that another human being was in his room in the middle of the night. Instead, Kakashi even hesitated to even lazily turn his head to the owner of the nosie. He did however, raise his silver eyebrows up as if to interpret, 'May I...help you? With something?' Iruka thought nothing of it. Instead it flew over his head and as lazily as he could, smiled a reassuring smile.

"Couldn't sleep either huh?"

Kakashi shook his head no, agreeing with his host and turned back to look at the deserted night street. Almost deserted street.

"You left."

He wasn't accusing or even complaining. It was more of a statement. Just incase if Iruka didn't understand that he himself left the room. He nodded and cast his eyes downward, having nothing to say to Kakashi.

Some scraggily looking men came from various spots of alleyways or behind buildings or some that stayed sitting on stoops to shops. Some, Kakashi noticed, didn't even have the leaf headbands on or the slightest bit of ninja gear. Apparently where Iruka lived, while it was not exactly the 'wrong side of the tracks', could have been nicer. Only a few blocks from the window Kakashi saw the men gather in a small group under a lamp. Hushed words were exchanged, brief nods and from what the shinobi could tell, with his own keen eye sight, saw a small package of something being swiftly placed from on palm to another. More nods and the men seemed to walk off into an alley again.

"It happens, but you tend to ignore it more and more year after year."

Kakashi turned his head and was surprised that Iruka made it across the room and behind him without so much as making a noise. Iruka looked at the same point Kakashi decided to lock his gaze and sighed. The 'boy' tilted his head and still looked at the spot that was now empty. It just didn't ... feel right. He asked without blinking, as if the men would come back, "Year after year?"

Iruka nodded and crossed his arms in front of him.

"Not at first of course...But when I realized my old home was too big for just me after my parents died, I needed to move. I couldn't stay there forever, it would have driven me nuts. So with the money I had, I bought this small apartment. Months later when I got up to go to school one of 'those' men was leaning by the entrance of this building and asked me if I wanted to enhance my ninja skills.

Kakashi now sat fully on the inside of the room while still on the windowsill listening to Iruka. Iruka seemed lost to the memory as he still gazed out the window.

"That's why I'm always checking up on Naruto and always yelling at him about those things. When I saw that man's eyes, I never wanted anyone I knew to look like that. Ever. So after many threats to my life and I in return threatened with police and other small travail things, they managed to move down the block.

Iruka almost glared. It was ridiculous for this sort of thing to happen in a ninja village. It seemed that if one can't achieve to become a ninja after school your life turned for the worst and it lead to drugs. That's a major reason Iruka gave his tough love to Naruto whenever he did bad at something in school. It needed to be better! It had to be faster! He had to concentrate more! If he Naruto didn't...Iruka also feared that with too much tough and not enough love Naruto would turn from his responsibilities so that's why after almost every lesson came ramen. For Naruto any horrible and devastating thing that happened, it could all get better with a shrimp ramen bowl.

After the long silence of Iruka's brooding, the teacher ninja looked down to see that Kakashi's eyebrows were brought together in trouble. But instead of letting Kakashi get to caught up in Iruka's own problems, he smiled and asked, "Did they wake you?"

Kakashi snapped out of his thoughts. "No. I just couldn't stay asleep...Nightmare?"

"...I'm not sure. It didn't feel like one."

Kakashi's features lightened up when Iruka ruffled his already messy hair. "I wouldn't worry about it then." Kakashi had to smile under that simple gesture and gripped his hands harder on the sill since he had nothing better to do with his hands. Iruka crossed him and sat of the other side of him on the sill. Why it didn't break was beyond Iruka, but he wasn't going to think about it too much. Instead he looked at the bright red digits of his alarm clocked and shrugged. "No point in going to bed now since we would have to get up in an hour anyway."

Kakashi noticed the glowing 4:34 AM on the clock and agreed. Not that he would have gone back to bed anyway. Not after having a flash back that didn't happen...

"How are you?"

It's the third time that one night that Kakashi seemed to be shaken out of his thoughts by this man. Kakashi seemed to really think about the question as his eyes scanned the ceiling and nodded while replying, "Fine."

Short and blunt. At least he answered Iruka's question. Iruka nodded along with his answer to say 'good, good'. or 'yes, do go on'. They seemed to both sigh simultaneously. Minutes, that felt more like millennias passed by before Iruka piped up.

"So...," He stretched out his arms in front of him and snapping his back at the same time. "Are you going to tell me what Naruto told you at the shop?"

That went in one ear of Kakashi and out the other. Iruka cocked a slim eyebrow of inspection at the other man. Then as slowly as the dawn rises the memory of the past night returned. Kakashi, acting very adult, waved a hand at Iruka. The other ninja smirked at the attempered to look so care-free.

"Naruto? The blond kid just whispered - 'Pretend I just whispered a huge secret to you and act very indulged when you pull back. It'll drive Sensei mad.'

Kakashi even mimicked how Naruto spoke to him by raising his hand to his face and cupping the side of his face as if he was telling someone else a secret that was in front of him. Kakashi's lazy gaze crept behind his hand to see the blank stare Iruka gave him. Iruka opened his mouth to say something but when nothing came to mind, he closed it again. He scratched his forehead to vent stress.

"Does he not like you?"

Iruka almost burst out laughing. If anything, Naruto was only 3 steps away from worshiping the bringer of ramen. "No. No, he likes me very much. Even though he doesn't show it often. You know. A ninja must remain emotionless!" He held up his finger to make it official but smiled to himself after running the same hand through his own hair. "But he tires..."

Kakashi didn't have anything to respond to that and remained quite.

Iruka stood up. "Let's get started on breakfast, shall we?"

Kakashi looked back to the dark street to see a woman with long black hair in a ponytail walking with a hound that seemed to be a wolf and half her size run along side her.

Breakfast was not the usual morning coffee and half toast. How anyone can keep their energy during the day while eating only that was beyond anyone, but Iruka liked it the same. Kakashi, even as an adult, was not found with coffee. It was bitter, black, left an awful taste and didn't wake him up, but instead made him feel sick the rest of the morning. Toast was good though. Iruka decided to take Kakashi's coffee and had his fill of two cups and was ready for anything that came up today. Even after his second piece of toast Kakashi was ready to get dressed and head out, but dawn was only now starting to overcome the horizon of the village.

When Naruto used to sleep over he would always drag Iruka out or make him cook something amazing up. But since Naruto grew up about two years ago (kinda) Iruka had no reason to keep breakfast foods in home. He ate alone in the mornings and liked it. This, one the other hand, was weird. He always thought that having company would be great but it was just awkward. Kakashi tapped his fingers on the table waiting for...something to happen and heaved a heavy sigh. Without even realizing it his hand was covering his mouth leaving only half shut eyes visible. Not much to talk about either. Whatever was needed to be said was already spoken a few minutes ago so the birds that were starting to wake up where basically the only thing heard right now. Iruka had his morning always planned out and to the point- Get up- coffee (not always with bread either) - dress- brush teeth- pull hair up- and go to school. Weekends where the same, but instead of school he would read the paper and then walk around the village.

It seemed that Kakashi kind of switched from bouncing off the wall mode to almost being his normal quite self again. If that was a sign of Kakashi turning back then Iruka was relieved that this whole situation would end soon...but it also made it eerie to be with someone that was themselfs but not quite. Kakashi laid his head in his folded arms on the table and lazily glanced over to Iruka. Iruka had no choice but to stare back. Minute after minute of being under Kakashi's heavy gaze, Iruka's tanned cheeks colored slightly and he had to stare at the floor.

"You going to put you hair back up?"

Blunt and unneeded question, but Iruka nodded slightly.

'Dammit,' thought Iruka to himself. 'Even when he's not him it's hard to be around him.' Iruka remembered many times before when the older and more experienced ninjas where summoned to gathering or large missions, Iruka felt a great energy from the sliver haired man. Be it his charka level was much higher then his, or if Kakashi was on edge with no sense of guard down, but it was nearly impossible for Iruka to stand next to him too long. Iruka looked back up to see the mismatched eyes still looking at him...Maybe it was something else that made Iruka slink away...

"Kakashi, do you remember when you and I-"

Iruka stopped in mid sentence and on que, both men looked at the door that had just been knocked on. Iruka excused himself from the table and went to the door. Kakashi eagerly tired to get his vision past Iruka at the spaces between him and the other new comer. Although Kakashi couldn't see the other man's face too well, a few good coughs were heard.

"Please come in Hayate-sensei."

Lee kept jerking his head back and looked everywhere but the green eyes that belong to the very angel that sat behind him. But when she decided to not to pay attention to him again, he sneaked a look over his shoulder.

"Is he looking again?"

The only one that was close enough to hear Sakura was Nenji; who was in deep meditation, but slid open a pale eye to see that, in fact, Lee was looking.

"Yes." He crudely said and closed his eye again. Sakura growled and rolled her eyes to high heaven for the bowl hair cut boy kept doing that for more than an hour now and it was getting on her nerves.

Inner Sakura- 'Now I know what Sasuke must feel like...GRRRR!'

Naruto pouted and slammed himself to sit next to the pink haired girl. His fox face placing itself on his features as he crossed his arms and grumbled.

"If Thick Eyebrows keeps looking at you like that, I'm going to punch his face in."

But in return Sakura sucker punched Naruto in the jaw. "Shudd up stupid!"

"Ha! Oh youth! How you make my day seem to go by much faster."

"It would have gone faster if you had us training instead of pulling weeds!"

Naruto yelled while cradling his 'broken' jaw. Naruto stuck his tongue out when Gai's face turned to shock at how a student would talk to his teacher.

"You! Blond young boy, 10 laps! GO!"

Gai started to chase after Naruto and Sasuke's temple started to throb. It sucked not having your own teacher.

To be more later!

So what do you all think? Um...So like I said it's going to get darker. I will also (BIG MAYBE) might redo the first chapters...what do you all think? Also I'm guessing that I'm going to have more time to write since I have easy classes this time around so keep an eye out!

And after two years- I still love getting reviews and tips!

Vash- Wakes up Wah? Huh?...oh...uhh...came back next chapter. I might have something witty to say then. Goes back to sleep.