Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. Naruto is a creation of Masashi Kishimoto-sensei.

Note: This chapter was edited on May 26, 2006. Some previous content that may have come before and after the chapter may have been removed or replaced.

Since When Was Boredom The First Step To Love?

Chapter five-Laundry and spare rooms

By Riyo-sama

Iruka left his alarm off and slept until 7:00. He awoke feeling happy and refreshed. He took his time getting ready for the day and enjoyed a leisurely breakfast. There wasn't any work to do today, so he was going to do some cleaning and relax at home.

He did the dishes before sweeping and mopping the tiled kitchen floor. He then dusted the whole house except for the storage room. He would worry about cleaning the storage room another day. Ame followed Iruka around the house as he dusted, and she batted at the little dust motes and bunnies that came floating down to the floor. Iruka swept the floor next, and when he had a pile of dust and dirt collected, Ame pounced on it, causing it to scatter. Iruka shooed her away and quickly swept it up before she could spread it out again. He then changed the sheets on his bed and brought the laundry hamper into the kitchen where the floor was once again dry.

He quickly cleaned the bathroom while the first half of the laundry was washing. When he was done he came back to the kitchen and switched the clean laundry to the dryer and started the rest of the laundry washing. It was after this that he finally checked his watch which read 1:00. He decided it was time for a lunch break so he pulled the last pack of ramen out of a cupboard. He made a mental note that he should go buy groceries after he finished his lunch and the laundry.

He fed Ame before putting some water on the stove to boil. While waiting for the water to heat, his mind finally turned to last night. Who would have thought that Kakashi was that good looking? Maybe that's why he wears that mask all the time. If he let his face show, then he'd probably have it even worse then Uchiha-san. Iruka blushed. I can't let Kakashi know I'm thinking about him like this. He'd probably be offended if he knew a guy was thinking of him like that. Although, he didn't seem to mind when I told him I thought he was handsome. This made Iruka feel hopeful.

He noticed the water was boiling and he added the noodles. If it's nothing more than a silly crush, it might go away. I don't want to ruin our friendship over something like that, so I won't say anything until I'm sure that it's more than just a crush. Deep down, Iruka hoped that if Kakashi did find out, that he would feel the same. If he didn't, he hoped they could at least remain friends. With a sigh he stirred in the seasoning and poured the contents into a bowl he had sitting on the counter. He placed the pan in the sink before taking the hot and steaming bowl to the table. I guess worrying about it too much won't do me any good. I'll just let things take their own course. He pushed his thoughts of Kakashi to the side and concentrated on his ramen.

After lunch he finished the laundry and put it away. He then went through the kitchen cupboards and the fridge and made a list of everything he needed. When he was done he grabbed his wallet and put on some sandals before stepping out the door.

It looks like rain. observed Iruka as he noticed the dark clouds in the sky. He reached back through the door which was still open and grabbed an umbrella which was sitting by the door before locking it.

Iruka took his time walking to the market. He was in a good mood because when he finished with the groceries he would have time to relax. He had gotten a new book last week which he'd been dying to read, but just hadn't been able to find the time to start. It was written by one of his favorite authors, and he had heard that this particular book was exceptionally good.

Iruka got half way home after buying his groceries before it started raining. He was glad that there was only one grocery bag because it made it easier to hold the umbrella. The rain was falling hard and fast, but he was able to make it home without getting terribly wet.

It was around 4:00 when Iruka finished putting away the groceries. He decided that he would have some tea and then sit down to read in the living room. He had just set the water for the tea on the stove to boil when he heard someone knocking on the front door. Ame who had been twining herself around Iruka's legs and purring gave a meow before darting away towards the door.

Iruka went to answer the door, and was surprised to find a soaking wet Kakashi standing at his doorstep. Before Kakashi could say anything, Iruka pulled him into the house and shut the door. Ame jumped away to avoid the water that was cascading off of Kakashi onto the little tiled area that was in front of Iruka door.

"What are you doing coming over without an umbrella! It's raining cats and dogs!" scolded Iruka.

"I have a very good reason and explanation for that." answered Kakashi good-naturedly despite his current condition and the look Iruka was giving him.

"Well, whatever it is, it can wait until you put some dry clothes on. It may be the middle of summer, but you could still catch a cold. Wait there a minute." He left Kakashi where he was standing and headed towards his bedroom, muttering something about 'reckless jounins'.

Kakashi couldn't help grinning over the fact that Iruka would worry about his health enough to scold him. Most people didn't think that the legendary copy-ninja needed anyone to worry about him.

He took off his vest and hung it on the same peg he had used last night to allow it to drip. The vest was water resistant to avoid damage to any scrolls or important documents kept in the pockets, but that didn't prevent the rain from clinging to it and finding it's way underneath the vest so that it could soak his shirt.

Iruka came back with a dry set of clothes just as Kakashi finished removing his sandals. "I hope these will fit you well enough. There should be some towels in the bathroom for you to dry yourself with. I was getting ready to make some tea when you came, would you care to have some when you're done changing?"

Kakashi gratefully accepted the clothes from Iruka. He was starting to feel a little chilled from his soaking. "Tea sounds good right now."

"Come to the kitchen when you're ready, it should be done by then." said Iruka before going back into the kitchen.

Kakashi felt a slight twinge of guilt at the wet trail he left as he walked to the bathroom. Being the observant shinobi he was, he could tell that Iruka had cleaned it since his visit last night.

After shutting himself in the bathroom, he stripped himself down to his boxers and hung the wet clothes up. He even removed his hiate-ae. He found a towel and rubbed his body dry before working on drying his hair.

He put on the shirt and pants Iruka provided him with after he finished with his hair. They fitted surprisingly well, although the pants were just the slightest bit short on him. Iruka was short in comparison to many other shinobi. He smelled the shirt, and sighed. It was devoid of any detergent scent due to the fact that shinobi used unscented soaps and detergents, but it didn't smell sterile either. The only description he could give the scent was pleasant and wholesome, and he hoped that was what Iruka smelled like. He blushed when he realized what he was thinking. It's a little to soon to be thinking like that Kakashi, he doesn't even know how you feel.

He replaced his hiate-ae, and was about to put on his mask when he stopped and thought about it. He's already seen me without it, and he did seem to find me attractive. Kakashi smiled to himself and hung the mask up with the rest of his clothes.

When Kakashi came into the kitchen, Iruka was pulling some cups down from a shelf with his back turned to Kakashi. When he turned around to find Kakashi standing in the entrance to the kitchen, minus his mask, he blushed. "Do the clothes fit alright?" he asked before blushing more and dropping his gaze to the floor.

"Yeah, they fit pretty well. Thanks for letting me barrow them." Kakashi answered with a grin. He just loved the fact that the mere sight of his face could make Iruka blush so cutely, and this was the first time he had ever seen Iruka dressed in something other than the chunin uniform. Iruka was wearing loose fitting khakis and a white button up shirt that was untucked and only buttoned up halfway, exposing the well tanned and toned muscles of his chest. His hiate-ae wasn't on and he had once again taken his hair tie out. The affect was amazing, he was no longer just cute and good looking. Damn! He looks sexy! was what ran through Kakashi's mind, and he couldn't hide the slight pink tinge that came to his pale cheeks.

Iruka wondered why Kakashi was staring at him like that, and what he could possibly be thinking about that would make him blush. He turned away to finish preparing the tea and started to button his shirt back up much to Kakashi's disappointment. "Why don't you have a seat Kakashi-san?"

Kakashi wordless complied with the suggestion and took a seat while Iruka added tea to the water and allowed it to steep while he brought over the cups. He stood over the pot for a few minutes until he thought it had cooled enough not to be scalding hot and then brought it over to the table.

He nearly spilled it while filling his own cup when a great clap of thunder sounded outside the house and reminded them of the storm that was blowing outside. When Iruka's startled nerves calmed down, he took a seat across from Kakashi at the table and took a careful sip of the hot tea. "So, what was your reason for coming over in this weather? It must have been important."

Kakashi took a sip of tea himself before answering. "It's like this….."

(How Kakashi's day went up until that point.)

Kakashi woke up at 6:00 that day, which was exactly when he was supposed to meet his team. Which meant he had three hours to kill. After showering, he put on the last clean uniform he had, and noted that all of his casual clothes were dirty as well. I guess it's time to go to the laundry mat.

After eating a breakfast of toast and coffee, Kakashi gathered up his laundry. With the help of a clone, he carried it to the laundry mat six blocks down from his apartment. As he entered the modest little establishment, an elderly woman seated in a chair and crocheting looked up and greeted him with a smile, "Ohayou, Kakashi-kun."

"Ohayou, Obaa-san." responded Kakashi cheerfully.

"You've left it all until you have almost nothing to wear again, haven't you?" said the woman addressed by everyone as Obaa-san with a disapproving cluck of her tongue.

Kakashi chuckled as he and his clone set the laundry down, the clone disappearing as soon as his burden was gone. "Well, you know how it is for a shinobi, missions and all that. Besides, the more laundry I have, the more money you make."

Obaa-san smiled at this. She was a bit of an institution in Konoha, had been for many years. Many bachelor shinobi like Kakashi found it difficult to keep up with simple house hold chores like laundry. So for a modest fee, the motherly old matron would do their laundry for them, and all they had to do was drop it off and pick it up. Many of these shinobi had become fond of her, and she never got tired of giving motherly advice, especially to the ones that didn't really have any family.

"Kakashi-kun, you're not making your students wait again are you?" asked Obaa-san with a stern look at Kakashi.

"It's good for them to wait. It helps build patience." said Kakashi cheerfully.

"Just make sure they don't start being late like you, Kakashi-kun." she said as she started sorting his laundry.

"Hai, hai. I'll see you later, Obaa-san." he said as he left. She turned and waved at him before going back to her task.

Kakashi took Come Come Violence out on his way back to his apartment and started reading as he walked, one hand holding the book and the other in his pocket. He was occasionally greeted by people who knew him, and he acknowledged them with a greeting and nod of his head.

He smiled to himself. He was looking forward to the fun he was going to have after he was done with his team that day. He couldn't wait to see the look on Iruka's face when he found out what he was going to have to do.

Kakashi still had his nose stuck in his book, and was trying to picture the look Iruka would have on his face when he set his foot on the first step leading to his apartment building.

At that very moment, Kakashi was blown back by some unseen force that sent him flying across the street and through the fence which he landed on the other side of. He immediately jumped back through the hole he had created after he regained his senses, book shut but still clutched in one hand and a kunai in the other. He put them both away when he found out that the reason he went flying wasn't due to an enemy.

There before him was his apartment building, going up in one huge flame.

Kakashi sighed, "I guess I better cancel training for the weekend."

(Five hours later.)

Kakashi stared at the smoking rubble that had once been his place of residence. It would be a few days before he could search for possible remains of his personal property. The only thing the fire department could determine about the nature of the fire was that it wasn't the work of an enemy. The good thing was that no one was home, so there were no fatalities or injuries.

Kakashi was glad he decided to have his laundry done today. He at least still had clothes to wear. He sighed, What a bother. I was all paid up for the next two months. He was going to have to find somewhere to stay until he could find a new apartment. Who do I know with a spare bed that they would be willing to let me barrow? He went through a mental list of people he knew (he crossed Gai's name out several times and wrote 'absolutely not' next to it). Kakashi gave another sigh And I was really looking forward to seeing that look on Iruka's face.

As soon as he thought of Iruka, a light bulb turned on in his head. It was perfect!

Kakashi was so happy at his sudden stroke of genius that he didn't even care that he was getting soaked by the rain which had started to fall. He had a silly grin plastered on his face as he started heading towards Iruka's house.

(Back to the present moment in Iruka's kitchen.)

"I thought I might as well come here and use one of those favors you still owe me." finished Kakashi as he drank the last of the tea in his cup.

"So you want to stay here until you find a new place?" asked Iruka curiously. He didn't think that Kakashi would want to use his favors for something as simple as a few nights lodging.

"Actually, I want to move in with you."

Iruka almost choked on his tea and nearly spilled it on himself, "NANI!"

"I want to move in with you. You have that empty room going to waste. I'll pay rent, and you can always evict me if it doesn't work out."

Iruka tried to process it all. Kakashi wanted to move in with him. The man who he had known for all of three weeks and had just discovered he had a crush on wanted to move in with him. He was so happy! He told himself not to get his hopes up though, Kakashi was probably just asking him because he was a friend, not because he thought of him as anything more than that. "You can move in. I do owe you after all. I won't make you pay rent though, you're a friend."

"Thanks, I know it's kind of sudden. I promise not to make you regret it though." Kakashi became lost in thought for a moment, and then his face lit up. "As a thank you and to celebrate us becoming house mates, I'll make you dinner. And don't even think of objecting."

Iruka smiled at Kakashi's enthusiasm. "Okay. Can I help?"

"Nope! I'm making you dinner. Just go read a book or something." Kakashi shooed Iruka out of the kitchen and ordered him not come back until he said it was ready.

I guess I should get his room ready. Iruka thought as he walked down the hall. He opened the door to the empty room and flipped the light switch on. I'm glad I cleaned today. he thought as he observed with satisfaction that the room was completely clean. All he needed to do was make the bed. He went across the hall to the storage room and went inside. He opened a tall cabinet that was next to the door and took out a set of sheets, blankets, and pillows.

He looked around the room again after he was finished making the bed. It sure is empty in here, I wonder why I never put this room to use? He was looking at the nightstand which was bare as he thought this, and an idea occurred to him. He went back into the storage room and started searching the shelves for a particular box. He now wished that he had cleaned the storage room because the dust caused him to sneeze a couple of times.

After searching for about fifteen minutes, he finally found what he was looking for. He pulled a large box down off a shelve near the back and blew dust off the top. He sneezed again before opening the box to reveal several lamps. He selected a small bronze lamp with a rectangular body. It had the same swirl found on the jounin and chunin uniforms etched into each side. He pulled a plain shade of white parchment from the box and put the box back in its place. He grabbed a light bulb for the lamp before shutting the door to the storage room and going back into the spare room. Iruka placed the lamp on the nightstand and checked to see that it worked before leaving the room.

Just as he walked back into the living room, Kakashi poked his head through the entrance of the kitchen and with a smile told Iruka that dinner was ready.

Iruka was delighted when he saw what Kakashi had made. "Okonomiyaki! I can't remember the last time I had it." Kakashi waited while Iruka took a bite, and smiled when Iruka's face brightened. "Oiishi! This is really good Kakashi-san."

"Of course it is. I am a pretty good cook, I just don't like to cook for myself."

Iruka nodded, happily munching away. Kakashi watched Iruka for a few minutes before eating his own. He liked it when Iruka was happy. Iruka gave off a pleasant vibe when he was happy which made Kakashi feel warm inside.

After they finished eating and had the kitchen cleaned up, they decided to call it a night. They were both tired and it was late.

Iruka turned to Kakashi before entering his room. "I fixed up the bed in the spare room while you were making dinner. Let me know if there's anything you need."

Kakashi nodded, "Thanks, I really appreciate this."

"You're more than welcome. What kind of friend would I be if I left you out in the street, not to mention the rain. Anyways, I hope you sleep well. Oyasumi nasai."

"Oyasumi." answered Kakashi as Iruka entered his room. Kakashi walked down the hall and opened the door to what would be his room starting that night.

There was a closet in the wall to the right of the door like in Iruka's room. A dresser stood against the wall next to the door. The only other pieces of furniture were the bed and nightstand. Kakashi noticed that Iruka had made up the bed with white sheets and a dark blue blanket. An extra blanket of the same color as the other was folded at the foot of the bed. He noticed the lamp which Iruka had placed in the room as well.

He shut the door and walked over to the bed. He took off his hiate-ae and set it on the nightstand before pulling back the covers and getting in the bed. He didn't go to sleep right away though. Right then, Kakashi was on cloud nine. I guess it is possible to get something good out of a misfortune. he lost his apartment, but in exchange he was now going to live with Iruka! He could spend more time with him.

Kakashi settled down into the bed more. It was a lot more comfortable than his previous bed. He drifted into a warm and fuzzy dream state and smiled.

Iruka snuggled down into his own bed with an expression of equal happiness. Kakashi was going to start living with him. It also gave him a nervous-excited feeling in his stomach. The person he had a crush on was sleeping in the next room! He blushed when he realized that his thoughts resembled those of a school girl with her first crush. He hoped he wasn't exhibiting any other behaviors of that kind (although it was true that this was his first crush).

He was happy though. Living together meant that they would see more of each other. This would allow Iruka to explore his feelings for Kakashi more.

Ame who had been grooming herself in a corner came over and jumped up onto the bed. She curled herself up onto the pillow next to Iruka's and promptly fell asleep. Iruka closed his eyes and fell asleep to the now soft patter of the rain against the window.

Thanks go to the following readers for reviewing: kagerou, Isolde1,ChibiRisu-chan,Maliciously Creative, Evil Kasumi, bluepixie13, ePuiChi, Moon Klutz, Renn, Lady Geuna, animeteen, mousesensei(), sapphire-wolf1, Indian princess, and Silverone.

I use some Japanese words in here, and I assume that most people know what these words mean since this is a fan fiction based on a Japanese manga/anime. But if there happens to be someone who doesn't, then please let me know. Tell me which word it is that you don't know, and I'll list the translation. Jaa ne!