Chapter Two
Kakashi pushed the door open and stepped into the bar. His gaze instantly nailed on Genma's slouched back over the counter. The bartender, who was quite familiar with the sharin-gan, nodded.
"Hey Kakashi, you know this guy?" he asked as the jounin approached the counter. Not paying attention to him, Kakashi grabbed the back of Genma's shirt and pulled his torso up in an attempt to see his face. Genma was flushed and his eyes lidded. Kakashi shook his head mentally. How could he get so hammered in this time? He looked at the bartender who shrugged his shoulders.
"Must've been a rough day. Five shots. I got a feelin' he's better off outside, if ya know what I mean," he said tensely and polished the scrubby surface of his bar counter, giving the white-haired man a meaningful look under his brows. Kakashi glared at the drunken ninja in front of him.
"What did you do to him?" he asked lowly, leaning closer to the chestnut-haired man. Genma's brows forked sharply, and his gaze wandered on the wooden surface restlessly, his hand playing with the empty glass.
"What…" he slurred quietly, "'tis none of my business what… goes on between the two of you… leamme out of it." Kakashi started; this was about as far from the answer he had expected as possible. His fist tightened around the fabric of Genma's shirt, his lips narrowing into a tight, white line under his mask.
"What do you mean? What happened between you two?" he growled, yanking the shirt once. Genma glared and huffed, trying to find something for his hands to do. He looked really disoriented, and Kakashi knew it was pointless trying to coax an answer out of a man this drunk, but he was dying to know. There was nothing he wanted more.
The bartender shifted his weight restlessly, glancing at the swaying drunk.
"I mean it Kakashi, if you know this guy, take him home. Or at least outside before he pukes and ruins my table…" he grumbled. Kakashi glared at a slouched Genma for a few more seconds, before straightening up and letting go.
"I don't know him," he said seriously and turned, starting to walk away.
"Oh come on Kakashi!" the bartender yelled, "Don't do this to me! I've got customers to serve! Just to the front door? Please?" Kakashi ignored the pleads of his buddy, exiting the small tavern.
The Next Day
Iruka sighed as a stack of essays dropped on the floor. Glad that the students were on a break, he bent down to pick them up. He had really been out of it this morning. He had been sure the worst would be over by the first day-after, but seeing Kakashi and the look in his eye, and the feeling that he sensed something… Iruka slapped the papers on his desk and tried to swallow. Why wasn't he just allowed to forget? That's how it was supposed to go. Why couldn't Kakashi just let him be?
Running a quick hand pointlessly over his silky slick hair, he started to browse through the papers, trying to remember which one it was he had been searching for in the first place. His mind kept spinning around last night, bumping into Genma, and Kakashi's tone when he asked if everything was ok. Iruka stared at a paper absent-mindedly, his finger rubbing a spot back and forth.
He wasn't sure why he was so afraid of the idea of Kakashi finding out. It was none of the jounin's business, after all. He had probably had similar experiences. Hell, a lot of them! So many he couldn't count! Frowning, Iruka slammed the paper on the desk, glaring at it. Kakashi was just nosy, as usual. That was all. Or he thought there was something else, something more trivial bothering him. Iruka bet his life the sharing-gan would never guess what happened. Never.
And even if Kakashi did find out what happened, it's not like it would change anything between them. It was one of those things completely outside the radar of their friendship, Iruka told himself. Completely, utterly beside the point. Something that didn't touch them at all. Almost like it never even happened. His mouth feeling dryer than ever, Iruka took a deep breath and watched his hands go through the essays. He had no idea what he was doing, organizing them or waiting for the particular name to pop up. He just watched.
Suddenly the sun stopped shining, and the sensei tensed. Someone was blocking the sun. Already knowing who it was, Iruka turned his head, watching as Kakashi came through the window, flopping on the floor absolutely silently. The teacher forced a smile on his face, but it came out sad.
"I'm so sorry about last night," Iruka said, crossing his hands on the desk. Kakashi remained standing where he was, sliding his hands in his pockets.
"I was just… really distracted and I know I wasn't much of company, but…" Iruka continued, looking at his hands, "I just… needed some time to mull things over in my head. Nothing serious, I promise. Nothing bad has happened, so if you're worried, don't be." Kakashi remained quiet, watching Iruka, which started to unnerve the chuunin. He knew he wasn't the best liar.
"Maybe… maybe we can do it again sometime next week?" Iruka asked lightly, grabbing an ink bottle and dipping a pen into it, " I've just been wrapped up with a lot of things, and…"
"What happened between the two of you?" Iruka started so much he spilled the bottle on the paper. He watched in horror at the colour soaking in the brown sheet, before jumping into action and saving the rest of the arks.
"I-I…" he mumbled, wiping the table hastily, "I'm not sure I…"
"Don't," Kakashi interrupted with a firm, low voice, "lie. Don't patronise me, Iruka. What happened?" The pony-tailed man stared at his red-tainted hands, suddenly feeling exhausted. His students would come any minute now.
"It's none of your business," he said quietly, his heart missing a few beats. He pressed his fingers together to stop them from shaking. He felt the heavy gaze on him. The silence lingered in the air.
"It isn't?" came Kakashi's low voice, sending a cold shiver up Iruka's spine. He had never felt the other's presence like this, so quiet and so enormous, standing less than 9 feet from him. Iruka stared at his hands, trying to even his breath.
"I was drunk. He was there." He didn't know why he kept talking. "I was frustrated. It wasn't planned." The air chilled with every word, Kakashi's chakra sinking, drowning. Iruka took a deep breath; he couldn't fathom why the other was reacting like this.
He told himself he couldn't fathom.
"You," Kakashi croaked quietly, and paused. Iruka held his breath. The door slammed open and a boy burst in the classroom. His eyes grew wide.
"Hi Kakashi-sensei!" he breathed in awe, waving his hand at the tall, quiet man, who nodded. More children floated into the room, most of them noticing the copy ninja with delight. Kakashi shifted his weight, turning more towards the window. Iruka cleared his throat and started rubbing the ink off his hands furiously, his arms shaking. He praised the children again and again in his mind for saving him. One boy stopped at the desk and stared at the red hands.
"What happened Iruka-sensei?" he asked. The man forced a smile on his face, his eyes feeling hot.
"Just spilled some ink," he breathed weakly, receiving a slightly worried frown from the child. He glanced to the window, open and empty. Wetting his lips, he nodded towards it.
"Why don't you… be a good boy and close that for me?" he croaked. The child nodded and ran to his task. His hands shaking, Iruka turned his gaze on his pupils.
Somewhere above the city, Kakashi ran. He didn't know where he was going, he just knew one thing. He needed to get far away from people.
As far as possible.
TBC
A/N: Oh, the angst.
