I do not own Naruto. Never will.

This chapter is longer than the previous three. The next update will take longer because I couldn't think of how to break the last few parts in this chapter to maintain a 6-page limit. Please bear with me.

LIMITS

Kakashi hated himself for even thinking he can handle it.

His body was familiar with martial arts, with handling weapons and stealth movements. His body was not used to doing bending exercises while having a Ming vase on his head to keep as balance. It was bad enough trying to slowly lower one knee and reach down with out drooping his head. Not letting the Ming vase slip was a different matter all together.

It got worse as the days passed. So far, he's broken twelve vases and all of it was going to be paid by him. Iruka knew how to motivate a person to not make mistakes. Kakashi could see why his students respected and obeyed him as a teacher. He himself felt like he was lower than dirt every time he dropped the vase and Iruka tried to assure him that it was all right, that the exercise itself is not easy for anyone.

His genius-pride felt horrible for hear those words, not to mention his saving's account.

As if that wasn't enough, there was still the stretching and flexibility exercises that Iruka was making him perfect. One of the exercises he hated the most was the one where Iruka would set a timer in front of him for twenty minutes and instruct him to stand on one leg and lift his other leg's ankle towards his head; a roughly one-seventy-degree angle posture. Kakashi would hold his arms up, without holding his lifted ankle and remain that way till the buzzer on the timer went off. Twenty minutes standing in the same position killed him but he kept his head high. Every time he faltered, Iruka would reset the time and he would do it again from the beginning.

"I ask for a one-seventy, not a one-fifty-five, Kakashi-sensei." Iruka would say, without even glancing up from the papers he was grading while his hand reached out to reset the time.

Kakashi never complained.

Iruka said I should trust him and because he is my partner, trust is what he'll get...

Kakashi had to excuse himself from missions. While he trained the Sharingan till sunset, he worked with Iruka till midnight. Iruka would yawn tiredly but still remain awake to help him. Despite Iruka's rather cold and strict attitude, whenever Kakashi would see him try not to fall asleep while standing and watching him do the exercises he was told to, Kakashi poured more of his effort to prove to the Chuunin that he was not a disgusting and ungraceful turtle.

I'm going to turn to a fucking swan and you're going to be so jealous!

It was a month later did Kakashi receive his first praise from Iruka's mouth. He had managed to include Iruka's exercise regime in to his morning training and even though he'd never admit it, he found it easier to move when practicing taijutsu. His patience improved tenfold and despite his aching and bruising feet, Kakashi was able to increase his stealth by a few levels.

"Very good, Kakashi-sensei." Iruka said, watching as he walked from his doorstep to his small living room. "You're starting to walk with a little grace."

Kakashi's ego swelled like a hot air balloon.

To have received such praise that winter evening, Kakashi felt like a little bit of weight was removed from his shoulders. While Iruka went to fix him a drink, he had dropped on the couch, the whole month's of exhaustion finally crashing down on him. His subconscious took over his conscious, mind which was beating his body up to meet the Sharingan and Iruka's expectations. He remembered blinking slowly and the next thing he knew, he was lying down on Iruka's couch, sunlight creeping through the window behind him. He was covered with a duvet, a pillow under his head, and mask still in place along with his forehead protector.

It took five whole minutes for Kakashi to realize that he had fallen asleep on Iruka's couch and that it was already ten that Saturday morning. Slowly, he sat up, looking around the house and hearing a soft tinking sound from the kitchen. He blinked slowly, wondering why he had fallen asleep so fast. He felt extremely tired, his Sharingan the main factor for his fatigue. He blinked a few times when Iruka appeared in front of him, holding out a steaming cup of newly brewed coffee.

"Morning." Iruka greeted, smiling a bit. "I'm sure you're hungry. Would you prefer pancakes or waffles?"

Kakashi stared dumbly up at him, his hands seeping the warmth the cup of coffee provided. "Huh?"

Iruka chuckled and motioned for him to stand up and took the cup of coffee away. "Bathroom is that way. Freshen up and come to the kitchen."

Kakashi did as he was told, his senses muddled as he splashed cool water to his face and gargled with some mouthwash. He joined Iruka in the kitchen. He didn't know that he spent more than twenty minutes in the bathroom because Iruka was pouring him a new cup of coffee and a stack of waffles was waiting for him in a large plate.

"Did we train last night?" He asked, taking a small sip from his coffee. It did little to clear his senses.

"No. I returned with some biscuits and drinks to serve you and I found you asleep on my couch." Iruka said coolly, no ill-intent. "It's understandable. I hear you've been training the Sharingan."

Kakashi felt himself sigh and run a hand through his hair. "I have. I'm sorry I dropped like that."

"It's no problem at all, Sensei. I was actually waiting for you to drop." Iruka smiled at him and slipped in to the seat opposite him. "I suggest you stop for a while. I have no other stretching exercises that I can teach you that'll help you with grace, so you can keep practicing what I've given you so far and we'll continue with other things later. For now, you should go home and take some rest."

Kakashi merely hummed as he stuffed some of the waffles in to his mouth. He couldn't feel Iruka's stare, so he knew the man wasn't looking at his face. He remembered finishing the food, thinking that the peach chunks in the batter was actually a very nice touch when he suddenly found himself on his back, staring at a beige ceiling. There was a duvet thrown over him, and when he did look around, it was already sunrise. He sat up from the bed he was lying on, noticing that it wasn't his room. He frowned when it dawned to him that he must have dropped asleep again. Looking around, he noted how Iruka's bedroom was far more personal than his living room. There were family pictures, class pictures and team pictures on one shelf. There were old childhood toys on another and leg weights in the far corner of the room.

He got up, made the bed, feeling a bit clearheaded than the other time he woke up and quietly slipped to the living room. He was not prepared to find Iruka standing on his tip-toes on a mounted beam about four feet high, one leg in a perfect ninety-degree angle, arm held in an opposite ninety degree angle. A glance at the timer told Kakashi that Iruka has been standing in the same position for the past forty minutes.

There's no way he can stand that way without chakra. The beam is too narrow to support all the weight and for that long.

"Iruka-sensei." Kakashi spoke, after five minutes of watching and waiting for Iruka to sense him or at least say something.

Iruka lifted his head up a bit and turned to face Kakashi. "Oh, good morning, Kakashi-sensei. Sorry, I didn't really hear you."

He didn't sense me? How come? I walked with my presence unmasked...

"Oh. Did I startle you?"

Iruka shook his head and slowly lowered his leg before hopping down the beam. "A bit."

"You didn't sense me." Kakashi stated, to which Iruka merely smiled and carried the beam to the storage room. It was only then did Kakashi notice that Iruka was wearing small shorts and an oversized white shirt. Kakashi felt a bit uncomfortable seeing Iruka's state of dress.

"Feeling better?" Iruka asked, heading for the kitchen and going about making breakfast.

"I'm sorry to have intruded for too long."

"No need to be. It's quite al right you know." Iruka chuckled and went about making sandwiches for breakfast. "I'm glad you slept actually."

Kakashi felt embarrassed, his cheeks coloring. "Right."

The morning passed in silence as they had breakfast. When they were done and were only sipping coffee, Iruka spoke up again. "How are you feeling now?"

"Better. Less muddled." Kakashi replied staring at his empty cup. He couldn't help but wonder about what Iruka was doing earlier. There was a particular grace-signature in the way he stood, the way he kept his body at such a perfect pose. "What were you doing earlier? What is it for?"

Iruka hummed and shrugged a bit. "Just a bit of balance practice."

"Without chakra." Kakashi stated, confused about how Iruka had no chakra flow or signature at all.

Hold on a minute...

"We can't always depend on chakra for balance." Iruka said, offering to pour Kakashi more coffee.

Kakashi held his cup forward. Everything was suddenly becoming very clear. "You were the one at the Valley of the End."

Iruka looked up at him, mildly surprised. "Oh. You saw that."

Oh, you saw that? You mean you weren't trying to hide the fact that you - you - oh geez!

"It was you. The trapeze. The entire thing, it was you. I thought it was just a civilian and - what the fuck were you thinking?" Kakashi demanded, unsure why his temper just flared.

Iruka looked at him curiously. "What's the matter?"

"You sealed your chakra didn't you? That's why I didn't know it was you! I don't know how you figured it out, but to do something crazy and suicidal as that, what were you thinking?" Kakashi was glaring, angry at Iruka for not using his head.

What if he had fallen? What if he had missed the trapeze or his grip slipped from the moisture of the waterfall? What then?

"Why didn't you stop me then?" Iruka asked quietly, studying Kakashi's masked face.

"I didn't know it was you."

"So if it wasn't me, you wouldn't have cared if the person dropped." Iruka was starting to look far too amused for Kakashi's liking.

What the hell does he find funny? Is falling down at that height without chakra funny?

"Why didn't you have a safety line?"

Iruka's eyes were dancing with a hidden smile. Kakashi started to stew in his seat. "If it wasn't me, and you were still worried, why didn't you stop the person?"

"Are you suicidal?" Kakashi asked. Iruka was already chuckling while trying to finish his coffee. "What the hell is so funny?"

Iruka shook his head. "It's nothing. Hokage-sama came over to have a look at your eyes last night, and suggested that you cut your Sharingan training for the next week and take this three times a day." Iruka reached out for a bag of medicine on the kitchen counter and handed it to Kakashi. "I suggest you do listen to her. You're starting to crumple too fast for comfort."

Kakashi nodded dumbly, taking the bag. "You're avoiding my question!"

Iruka merely stood up and started to rinse his cup. "You can't stay idle today. But I won't be giving you any stretching exercises. You can do that by yourself once you resume your Sharingan training. I will however, teach you how to move your feet today. And how to hold your partner, what to expect and what to do when performing an impromptu dance." Iruka reached for Kakashi's empty cup and rinsed it as well.

"Now see here -"

Iruka headed for the living room, gesturing Kakashi to do so as well. Kakashi was furious that Iruka was ignoring his concern for his safety.

I mean what if he really did fall? Damnit, what's gonna happen then? And like fuck am I going to let him dodge this situation!

"First thing, is to greet your partner. You bow to your partner, a sign of respect towards the woman you are going to dance with, like so." Iruka demonstrated the bow.

"You can't ignore what I'm saying forever! I want your reasons, Iruka-sensei! What drove you to possibly think that it was safe to do something crazy like that? And who the hell taught you how to seal chakra?" Kakashi demanded.

"I appreciate your concern. But really, I'm fine. I haven't fallen, and to answer where I learned the seal, that is for me to know and for you to find out." Iruka said, sighing tiredly. "I actually have the entire day off and I am going to stay in. If you're not interested, then I suggest you find something better to do than take up space in my living room."

Take up space? Like fuck I'm going to quit! Not after all those times where I couldn't even get up in the morning from the stretches! And blisters on my feet! Damnit! No way!

Kakashi sucked in a breath and let it out slowly. "Fine. Fine. I bow to the woman. Like this?" Kakashi copied how Iruka bowed a few seconds ago, earning a smile.

"Very good. No mistakes there. Now, one of the basic steps has four small consecutive steps. Relax your shoulders and follow my feet. They shouldn't be too far apart, nor should they be too small. Count it out. I said relax your shoulders, not square them with stiffness."

That would be praise number two. And for something as silly as bow. Damnit. Followed by a berating. Aren't I lucky?

"Relaxing." Kakashi grumbled and sucked in a deep breath to calm himself.

Iruka started moving his feet and weight in the four main directions. "One, two, three and four. Repeat."

Kakashi found it easy at first up until Iruka started combining it with double side steps and single turns in two directions. It got even more annoying when Iruka started showing him hand and arm positions, and how he had to maintain a very stiff and fixed upper body position in order to push 'some grace' in to his dance. At first, his feet tangled and he barely knew what hit him up until Iruka would steady him. He was too focused in maintaining his arm position because he didn't want Iruka to keep correcting him every fifteen seconds.

It was his twenty-sixth clumsy fall did Iruka finally speak. "All right. Enough. Just stop." Iruka shook his head, trying to hide the smile on his lips.

"I'm not done you know." Kakashi frowned and went back to doing the steps.

"You've been falling for the past three hours. Stop for a while. What do you think is wrong?" Iruka asked, motioning for the couch where Kakashi just dropped and sighed.

"I am an ungraceful turtle?" Kakashi replied with sarcasm.

"Besides that."

"I have no idea." Kakashi leaned his head back against the backrest. "It's my legs."

"Your legs are fine."

Kakashi blinked at him. "It is?"

"It's actually your eye."

Kakashi stared. "My eye."

"Yes. Eye. Your eye is the problem."

"Does my eye have to be graceful too?" Kakashi asked, sarcasm heavier.

Iruka gestured at Kakashi's feet. "You keep staring at your feet." His reply remained cool and collected, making Kakashi feel low for acting like an immature person. "When you're dancing with your partner, you look in to her eyes. Not at your toes. Looking down is a sign of weakness and cowardice for the person taking the lead. Always keep your chin up."

"How's this related to me falling?" Kakashi blinked.

Iruka stared at him for a while, torn between laughing and being disgusted. "Staring at your feet hinders yours instincts on how to move them naturally. Staring at them makes you tense and when you are tense you fall twenty-six times just like you did for the past three hours."

Kakashi released a slow breath. "I am trying."

"I know." Iruka nodded and sighed. "Look, cool out for a bit. Relax, forget about dancing, clear your mind. Go have a shower; there are some towels in the rack."

"I'll head home and grab a few stuff. I'll see you in a bit?"

Iruka nodded. "Whenever you want."

Kakashi nodded and stood up, grabbed his gear from the corner of the room and disappeared in a swirl of chakra smoke.

XXX

When Kakashi reappeared in the same spot where he left in the middle of Iruka's living room later that evening, he found him brushing his teeth while glancing at his rack of CD-collection, hair wet and a towel wrapped around his waist. Kakashi himself was dressed casually; dark common nin pants and an equally dark shirt with his mask and forehead protector. He was not expecting to find Iruka in his state of undress.

Iruka merely glanced him, blinked with the toothpaste foam smothering his lips before looking back at his CD-collection and selecting one from the rack. He popped it in to his player and let the music fill the house. Kakashi watched with mild curiosity as Iruka walked back to the bathroom and appeared a minute later dressed in a loose gray shirt and small shorts.

What is up with the little shorts? He's got legs like a woman.

Kakashi stared at Iruka's legs once more.

Okay. Not womanly. But what is up with the legs?

"How do you feel now?" Iruka asked.

Kakashi gave a small shrug. "Better?"

Iruka nodded, standing beside the stereo player. "Good. Are you comfortable?"

Kakashi stole a glance at Iruka's legs and swallowed. "I guess."

Iruka increased the volume. "Wonderful. You should be."

"What are we going to do tonight?" Kakashi asked, clearing his throat and setting down some of the weapons he always carried with him on Iruka's coffee table.

"Dance. Like what happened back at the restaurant." Iruka turned the volume of the music up a bit.

"I see." Kakashi looked around, unsure. Iruka didn't mention who was going to be his partner. Weeks ever since they had dinner together, Iruka never brought up a name of the person he was going to finally dance with; he never mentioned that he - Iruka - would be taking up the position of his partner either. Kakashi couldn't help himself from glancing at Iruka's legs once more. "Who am I supposed to bow to?"

Iruka freed his hair from the loose ponytail, slipping the small hair tie around his wrist. "Me. Tonight, I will be your woman."

Kakashi had to excuse himself immediately to use the bathroom.

XXX

He meant that as being my partner. As my partner! Not as anything else! Dancing partner! Dancing partner!

Kakashi rinsed his face and ears to cool down before he overheated anymore than he already did. When he ripped his mask down and quickly splashed cold tap water on his face, he was not surprised to find himself as red as an apple. Remembering Iruka's legs again, Kakashi ducked close to the sink and let the water run down his face.

Damnit! Damn him! What the hell is wrong with him? Is he trying to provoke me or something? Well, he's doing a damn good job of it!

A few minutes later, Kakashi sucked in a deep breath and finally shut off the water tap. He grabbed the towel from the rack, dried his face and schooled his features back to its normal lazy look. Mask back up in place, Kakashi stepped out of the bathroom only to find Iruka sitting cross legged in the middle of his living room, reading a book. Kakashi noted that he folded the sleeves of his t-shirt twice and that his hair was still down. He felt the beginnings of a blush crawl up his neck once more.

"Feel better?"

Like hell! Why can't you just go put on some pants? Damnit!

"Yeah. I'm fine." Kakashi nodded.

"Have some tea." Iruka gestured towards the tray beside him, where there were two cups of tea; one half empty, other one steaming and full.

Kakashi found himself staring dumbly at Iruka before he flopped down on the floor beside him, taking his cup of tea and remaining silent while he sipped it. He found the flavor calming him as he sighed and drank more from the cup.

Lemon tea. Where does he buy his tea leaves?

"So what exactly are we going to dance?" Kakashi asked, sipping more of his tea.

Iruka flipped a page of his book before he replied. "We're just going to work on your footsteps while dancing with a partner. Wouldn't be good if you stepped on a woman's feet right?"

No. I don't really give a shit...

"I guess." Kakashi shrugged.

Iruka continued reading his book. "At the same time, you will practice how you lead. I won't do anything other than be handled. So as your woman, I am completely going to follow however you want me to follow."

Oh god! Stop talking!

"Right." Kakashi swallowed dryly and sucked in a deep breath to calm his blushing face. He set the empty cup on the tray and sucked in another shaky breath.

Iruka shut his book and placed it on the closes shelf to him. "Ready?"

"Pretty much."

"On your feet then." Iruka got to his feet and Kakashi followed. He stretched his arms and neck while Iruka put the tray of teacups away. When Iruka returned, he selected a track on his player before stepping towards Kakashi. "All right. Like I've shown you before."

Kakashi nodded and bowed. Calmly, he took Iruka's hand and held it out a bit at shoulder level, his other hand at Iruka's side. He could feel Iruka's warm hand come to rest at the back of his shoulder. Kakashi took one step and stepped on Iruka's toe, making the Chuunin wince. "Sorry."

Iruka shook his head. "No, it's all right. I was expecting it. Slowly now."

Kakashi nodded and tried again. He got as far as nine steps before he stepped on Iruka's foot again. As time passed, Kakashi's interval of stepping on Iruka's foot grew bigger as he slowly and gradually got used to moving with a partner. Iruka instructed him to add in some of the turns and soon Kakashi was moving across the entire living room effortlessly, the days of grace practice and footwork movements finally kicking in properly. Iruka followed him where he took him, not once breaking in his steps as Kakashi turned and started using all of the steps Iruka beat in to his head.

"It's surprisingly easier than the training." Kakashi said as he stepped back and Iruka spun away before he pulled him back to his hold.

"You are doing the easiest thing right now. But I am rather pleased at your fast improvement." Iruka said, swaying with Kakashi to the music before they spun again.

Kakashi held him closer, taking smaller and quicker steps - as he remembered Iruka did with Yui back at the restaurant's dance floor - before twirling Iruka and moving slow once more. "It's nice. I can see why you enjoy it."

"You're only seeing the beginning of it." Iruka said, still following him. "I am glad you're enjoying this. Truth be told, I really did think you'd quit within the first week."

Kakashi slowed their steps down a bit more. "So all that training was to test my will?"

Damn you!

"No. That was how I was taught back then too." Iruka shook his head a bit.

Kakashi could get a whiff of the shampoo Iruka used; something fruity. "Oh. Who taught you to dance?"

"Yui."

Kakashi was not expecting the answer. "That woman did?"

"Yes. We met at a bar once, after I became a Chuunin. I've always liked dancing ever since I discovered it. She just helped me fix the little problems I had."

"You had problems before? I didn't think you would. You dance like you breathe."

Iruka shrugged. "I was worse than you. Believe me."

"I can't."

"Well, can't convince you then. Yui taught me different styles. After she met Ace about a year after I met her at the bar, we practiced every night, the three of us for the next six months. That was when they decided to travel and teach. I was their first student. Ace merely taught me street dancing. The faster and wilder steps that you saw back at the restaurant."

"Oh. But you're better than them."

"They taught me well. That is why they love me to bits." Iruka smiled.

It seems that way with how they keep touching you all over!

"But I thought your parents taught you to dance."

Iruka shook his head a bit and twirled when Kakashi stepped back and held his arm out before catching him again. "My father was almost never at home. My mother taught me how to perform on the trapeze, trampoline and other things like to juggle etcetera. There's a bit of dancing in the training but it was not emphasized on. At least not at the level I was in."

"Was she in a performing troupe beforehand?"

"No. But my grandmother and grandfather were. From her side of the family. I guess she was just passing down a part of her family tradition. Her family line was a bunch of traveling performers." Iruka didn't react when Kakashi lifted him off the ground, spun once and set him down again. Instead, he merely folded his legs up, brushing against Kakashi's thighs and continued dancing. "We'll have to work on your lifting some more later."

Kakashi nodded and went back to dancing long slow steps. "Was it hard?"

"Which part exactly?"

Kakashi gave a bit shrug. "Your mom training you. For you to be able to perform that well."

Iruka chuckled. "You have no idea."

"You really weren't using chakra."

Iruka shook his head. "No, I wasn't. I don't use chakra unless I really need to."

And if you fell then? What a daredevil!

"Your mom taught you how to seal your chakra?"

Iruka smiled. "Wouldn't you want to know?"

Kakashi's shoulders sagged a bit. "You can't blame me for trying."

"I don't really think you need it now. Maybe if you are worth it, I'll teach it to you someday."

Kakashi felt his neck heating up. "I should be worth it?"

"Yes. You should." Iruka didn't bat an eyelash when Kakashi frowned down at him. It wasn't like they had much of a height difference.

"Noted. But what did you do to manage to be able to move like you do without resorting to chakra much?"

"Without resorting to chakra at all." Iruka corrected. "Oh I can recommend someone to you."

"Yeah?"

Iruka nodded. "You know him. When my parents passed away, I continued my mother's training. I couldn't perfect it on my own. I still subconsciously used chakra for balance. Mother's methods were dangerous and to do them unsupervised was not really smart."

"But you still went on with it, of course."

"Of course. Try lifting me up again." Iruka instructed and Kakashi did as he was told. "Do that every twenty steps. Of course, I went on with it. I only met him when he found me dangling off the cliff with the rope knot not completely secured."

"You were dangling from a cliff, alone, just for training?" Kakashi asked, eye wide.

How fucked up is this guy? Hell, if that was how his mother trained him, how fucked up and messed up was that woman?

Kakashi lifted Iruka and set him down after another spin. "Higher. My knees should reach above your knees. And yes, I was alone."

"Then what happened?"

"He gave me some speech about not wasting my life with such dangerous tactics. Or at least not to do it alone. So ever since then, we both trained. He has perfected the arts of being a shinobi without resorting to chakra. He's one of the strongest men I admire actually."

What were you? Lovers?

Kakashi blinked.

Speech about not wasting life? Best shinobi without resorting to chakra? That sounds horribly like - no way!

"No way!"

"Way. Maito Gai was my former training partner, both when we were trying to accomplish combat and balance without the use of chakra. He taught me many things many people couldn't." Iruka gave out a cry when Kakashi accidentally stepped on his foot and their feet tangled.

They collapsed in a heap on the floor, making Iruka wince when his elbow took the impact of the fall. "I'm sorry. Are you all right?"

Iruka sat up and cradled his elbow. "I'm fine."

"Let me see."

Iruka held his elbow away. "It's fine. It's not the first time it happened you know."

Kakashi didn't push the matter when Iruka disappeared and sprayed some reliever on the hurt spot. "The good thing is you're actually progressing faster than I expected." Iruka glanced at the clock. "If you're already tired, we can stop for the evening."

"I'm fine. I don't want to hurt your elbow -"

"It's actually okay now. Your arm needs more power. You lift weights don't you?"

Kakashi nodded. "It's part of my training."

"Then it should be easy for you. You just need to get used to carrying your partner when the need calls for it." Iruka looked deep in thought.

Kakashi motioned for the floor and sat down. "So uh, you're technically friends with Gai, right?"

"I guess you can call it friendship."

Kakashi raised an eyebrow. "I may not have been there, but Gai is one of the craziest and noble people I know who'd stop anyone if he thinks it was dangerous. He knows danger better than any of us when it comes to anything muscle related."

"Exactly. This is why I was able to perfect the arts myself, even without my mother around."

"How long have you been partners?"

"Ever since I was thirteen all the way till I turned sixteen. When he moved to ANBU, we just drifted apart. But whenever we did find time, we did practice and hang out together. "Why don't you train with him? He can help you so much if it's chakra training and strength building."

No. Bloody. Way! Are you nuts? Have you cracked?

"You guys sounded close." Kakashi mumbled.

"More than you think. He was, actually, my first kiss." Iruka rubbed his chin. "I remember he was wearing the ANBU uniform. It was the year he retired from ANBU and decided to work in the Academy for training and studying students briefly before taking in students some years later."

Kakashi felt his brain freeze. "F-First kiss?"

Iruka shrugged. "Yeah. But we're just friends. He and I don't connect that way. Someone else holds his interest right now."

Who? Who?

"Who?"

"I'm in no position to disclose that information. But you guys are friends. Why not ask him yourself?" Iruka smiled.

Kakashi shrugged. "So you guys were never a couple?"

"No. Never. We kissed once. Made out actually, but it stopped there. After that, he told me who his interest was and since then I've been praying that they get together." Iruka said, chuckling. "You can close your mouth, Kakashi-sensei."

Oh that's easy for you to say! You kissed my so-called-rival. Oh no, wait. You fucking made out! What did you expect me to do? Stay calm? Gai isn't really make-out material!

"Was he good?"

Iruka just smiled. "Wouldn't you want to know?"

Kakashi frowned. "He's not really make-out type."

Iruka got a bit defensive. "Well, neither are you, Kakashi-sensei."

Kakashi's eye twitched. "I'm not kidding."

Iruka shook his head with a sigh. "Come on. Let's continue."

Kakashi frowned and got to his feet and continued to practice to dance. He kept stepping on Iruka's foot, completely distracted before Iruka called it an evening and asked him to go home and cool his head a bit. Kakashi merely nodded and started grabbing his things. "Uh, are you hungry?"

Iruka turned to look at him as he switched off his stereo. "Not to the point of starving. Why?"

"I was going to grab some sushi on my way home. You want to come?"

Iruka was looking at him with amusement written all over his face that there was a twinkle in his eyes. "Oh I don't want to intrude. Do go on ahead without me."

Kakashi shook his head. "I insist."

"It's late."

"So? I'll be your knight for tonight." Iruka was starting to turn red from trying not to laugh at his face. Kakashi felt a bit miffed. He was being completely serious after all. "I'm serious. If any ANBU decides to kidnap you and make out with you, I will stop them."

Iruka started laughing hard before shaking his head and disappearing in to his room. He came back out dressed, eyes sparkling with laughter and face glowing with amusement that Kakashi couldn't help but stare and forget his last train of thought; Gai being hanged by his toenails was somewhere in his thought.

"Lead the way then, Knight-san."

Kakashi reached out and pulled Iruka by his side, forming a hand seal. "I know this nice sushi place."

As Kakashi teleported them out of Iruka's apartment and towards the restaurant, he made a mental note to ask Gai for some 'tips' the next day.

Like hell I'm asking for help. No bloody way! But if Iruka says he's good, then why not ask right? Trust between partners. Trust between partners. But goddamnit, why did Gaihave to be his first kiss?

TBC

Notes and acknowledgements:

To anyone who has seen Kaleido Star, you'll know that it played a huge role in inspiring this chapter. No spoilers here; I don't want to ruin the show for anyone.

I once tried waffles with peach-chunks from a food stall some years back. I could never forget the taste. I also suddenly got this nutty image in my head that the mouthwash in Iruka's bathroom has to be PLAX. The red one. Don't ask why. He seems the type to keep a bottle of red mouthwash. To me at least.

Those little shorts would be actually loose. It's roughly the same length as boxers. But they're just tiny here. Notice the old, old NBA shorts? Probably something of that length i.e. lots of legs.

Lo and behold, Gai is in the story. There will be a better explanation later. I promise.

Because Kakashi seemed stronger during Gaara versus Akatsuki arc in the manga, I figured he must have done lots of training in the time-gap of the series. The dancing part is just something he's taking up as a hobby; more will be explained later.

What you think so far? I'm a feedback slut.