Everyone's Got Secrets

by Erisabesu

Ch.15 “Answering questions isn’t part of the deal,” Ibiki thumped a scroll into Sasuke’s waiting hand. “But I congratulate you on your information gathering abilities.” [SasuNaruSasu, KakaIruKaka] Romance, Humor, Action, Drama, Yaoi, Oh My.

14. Chapter 14

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Everyone's Got Secrets…

Chapter 14:

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Iruka was sweaty, dirty, and exhilarated from training out in the sun by the time someone else entered into the Restricted Area. It didn't sound like any of the teachers he'd already seen that day.

A man's voice called his name, and Iruka finished up his pattern of lunges to stand breathless in the sun.

"Over here," he called back, sheathing his katana and leaning over to ease the strain on his lungs. Maybe it was time for a break.

"There you are," Mozuku came into the clearing, his hands in his pockets. Iruka smiled to see his friend.

"Mozuku!" Iruka waved, straightening and shaking the sweat from his face and neck. He was happy for the distraction, and even happier that it was Mozuku who'd dropped by–he still felt bad for what had happened between them yesterday.

"I ran into Shikamaru. He told me I'd find you here," Mozuku said as he crossed the thick grass.

"Yeah, he was here earlier on," Iruka replied, "But he went to have lunch."

"Yeah," Mozuku laughed. "And Chouji's a good teammate to share lunch with."

Iruka laughed with him, "I'd eat lunch with Chouji any day!"

"Actually, that's why I'm here," Mozuku paused. "I thought maybe you'd be ready to grab a bite."

"You know, that sounds really good. But my treat, ok?" Iruka touched his neck. "I… I really shouldn't have snapped at you yesterday."

Mozuku chuckled, "It's forgotten. I shouldn't have interfered; they're your students."

"Were, you mean," Iruka gave him a wry smile, shaking his head. He sighed, "Were my students. They're Kakashi's now."

Mozuku shrugged, "Well, they're still ours even when they're not, I think. If you only needed Jounin then there would be no Chuunin at the Academy, right?"

Iruka grinned, his heart lightening. "Well when you put it like that, it makes perfect sense."

It was true–Naruto had come to him and not Kakashi when he'd been confused and upset a week ago. He probably went to Kakashi for loads of things, but there was still a place for him to play the mentor role, even if Naruto had graduated to bigger techniques. And especially since he'd graduated to bigger kinds of challenges.

"Besides," Mozuku smirked, "Imagine someone like the great Sharingan Kakashi teaching a six year old how to throw a shuriken! Good lord, I'd pay to see that!"

Iruka shook his head, grinning, "I bet Kakashi would be just as good at that as you or I, Mozuku." He laughed, "Though it's true that a lot of Jounin seem terrified of small children."

"Exactly!" Mozuku laughed along with him. "So you wanna get some lunch?" he asked again, smiling back.

Iruka grinned, his belly more than ready for another helping of something tasty. "Where do you want to go?" Mozuku opened his mouth to reply, just as they heard footsteps approaching.

"Oi, Iruka-sensei?"

Iruka turned at the sound of Shikamaru's voice.

"Someone to see you."

Iruka looked over the three new arrivals, moving closer to them while Mozuku stayed where he was. Iruka dabbed at the sweat under his forehead protector and tucked a piece of hair securely behind his ear while he made his observations.

The woman was familiar even in her plain garb; she'd made it rather hard to forget her face after her ridiculous, shameful performance at registration. Iruka's expression tightened at the sight of her, his heart wrenching with the knowledge that she was half responsible for the horrible situation between his students.

Iruka didn't recognize the man behind her, but the yellow and black showing from underneath the Festival Happi-coat declared his patronage for him. The man didn't flinch under Iruka's sweeping gaze, though his hand did move to rest on the hilt of his Katana, a reflex action that displayed his skill. Iruka turned back to the Daimyo's daughter.

"Princess Tomoko," he nodded stiffly, though politely, choosing to get things out in the open. Mozuku gasped next to him, but Shikamaru showed no surprise and only shook his head.

Tomoko seemed pleased, which made Iruka frown harder–he'd expected to throw her off by revealing her identity. He was glad for the Katana at his back in case she tried anything like she'd done with Sasuke–his blood ran hot in his veins, and not just from the long morning of training. She remained still, regarding him with an expression he couldn't quite decipher.

Shikamaru rubbed his neck, ready to go. "I'll leave her to you, then, Iruka. Good day, highness." Iruka was aware of his colleague leaving the premises, but kept his eyes straight ahead.

Tomoko took a step forward, her hands on her hips. "Well! We meet at last, Iruka-sensei."

Iruka forced a smile, hoping formality would hide his ill forebodings. "The honor is mine, Princess Shijimi. But this is no place for a Princess–why are you here?"

Tomoko grinned, shifting her weight onto one foot. "To learn things."

"To learn things?" Iruka repeated, unsure of how to interpret her real meaning. He glanced at Mozuku, who seemed just as confused as he was.

"You are an Academy instructor, I believe?" She replied, taking another step closer.

"Of course, but," Iruka shook his head, "I teach children. I can't see how that would help you."

"Hn," Tomoko looked thoughtful, glancing at the raven-haired man with her. "Then how about a friendly match? I see you are also a swordsman."

Her guard stepped forward, meeting Iruka's eyes, "I'd be pleased to spar with you, Umino-san." He gave a small bow, and made ready.

Iruka bit his tongue to try and keep from getting angry. What the hell was this really about? What were they doing here? And why him? He felt like they were toying with him, and he didn't like it at all.

He spread his hands, shaking his head and smiling as genuinely as he could. He didn't have time for this. And he'd beat the Samurai too easily, anyhow.

"I'm sorry, but I really must decline," he said, choosing diplomacy and moving closer to usher them out of the Restricted Area. "It's not really a good time, as I am in the middle of training for tonight's competition, so…" He gestured to indicate the pathway behind them that led out of the training grounds.

Tomoko smirked, and Iruka heard the noise of the guard's draw but stayed exactly where he was; it had to be a bluff. He concentrated his chakra. Sure enough, the Samurai lunged for him, the blade of his katana held inches from his throat, the point of the Wakizashi inches from his gut.

While the guard was distracted, surprised by the fact that he hadn't been blocked, Iruka made a succession of hand-seals and activated the chakra he had gathered–it was the only option he had that wouldn't involve drawing any of his own weapons.

To someone less than a Chuunin, it would only look like a breeze had stirred through the area, rustling the trees and grass and sweeping across everyone's face. But Iruka used the genjutsu to step away from the guard, leaving an illusion-self in his place. He moved out of range of the blades, the genjutsu including other illusions of himself both behind the Samurai, and beside the Princess, each holding a Kunai to their prey.

Hisagi twitched when he suddenly saw the Kunai in his peripheral vision, pointed at f his neck. Iruka kept invisible by the illusion, exchanging a brief glance with Mozuku, who had two fingers pressed to his lips and was watching with an amused expression.

"Now what will you do?" Iruka's illusions asked both the Samurai and the Princess, neither of whom dared to move. The illusion would seem very real to them, and Iruka could tell the guard was quickly weighing the odds of being able to save the two of them without injury, unnerved at not being able to trust his eyesight. His jaw clenched from the stress.

Tomoko, of course, threw back her head and laughed. Iruka saw her bodyguard scowl, his tense eyes flicking towards her. She clapped her hands, delighted.

"Very nice, Iruka-sensei! As to be expected from a Konoha Academy teacher. We are humbly at your mercy."

Iruka dispelled the genjutsu with a pop, and both Tomoko and her guard did a double take to find him standing several feet from his original position. Iruka didn't need to look pleased, Mozuku was doing it for him, smirking for all he was worth.

The guard put his swords away, watching him with a different kind of calculation, and Iruka felt a stab of guilt. Tomoko might have guessed what he'd done, but this man obviously didn't know as much as she did about the range of ninja techniques.

Iruka went over to him and held out his hand, offering his real smile for the first time. "I guess I got carried away." He glanced at the Princess, "I don't like being tested."

The guard hesitated, but then took his hand. It was strong; a warrior's hand. "I think I'd still like that match. But another time, perhaps."

Iruka laughed, shaking his hand firmly, "You got it. Name?"

"Hisagi. Hisagi Kei."

Iruka let go, chuckling. "I guess you already know mine." He looked back at the Princess, who was watching the exchange with a coyness that irked him. The smile slid down his face, and he turned to her with as much friendliness as he could muster.

"I'd rather not have this turn unpleasant, Princess Shijimi, as you are a guest of the Hokage. But my friend and I were just about to have lunch." Iruka folded his arms across his flak-jacket.

"Of course, Umino-san," the Princess nodded, spreading her hands in apology. "We did not intend to disturb you. I only wanted to meet the sensei I'd heard so much about."

Iruka's brow furrowed, and he dropped his arms to his sides. What did that mean? "Well," He hesitated, "I don't know what you've heard, but I'm just–" He glanced at Mozuku, at a loss.

"–Too modest," Mozuku finished, chuckling. He came to stand beside Iruka, his voice casual, with only the tiniest hint of threat. "Iruka-sensei is one of Konoha's best. Make no mistake." Iruka flushed, waving it aside.

"I can see he has a lot to offer," Tomoko replied, arching an elegant brow, and Iruka opened his mouth to deny it, feeling very uncomfortable. Tomoko continued, "It's no surprise, when you consider the talent of his students."

Iruka closed his mouth sharply, senses suddenly more alert. She was talking about Sasuke; she had to be. He was the only link connecting him to her, if you could call what had happened yesterday a connection. Iruka looked at Tomoko while she looked at him; neither blinked. He could feel his brows slide together from the irritation.

"You won't find my students ill-prepared, Princess," Iruka raised his chin an inch to show his conviction. If she thought she could cause more trouble than she had already, he was ready to prove her wrong.

Tomoko gave him a small nod, "People say you can judge a teacher by the quality of their pupils."

"And the quality of a leader by the way they treat their subordinates," Iruka countered, glancing at the serious, quiet Samurai. Mozuku was also quiet throughout the exchange, though Iruka could tell he was ready to back him up if it should prove necessary.

After a tense moment, Tomoko gave a dry chuckle. "I apologize for being curious; as I said, I've heard much about the shinobi that graduate from your classroom."

"You seem to be fond of tests, Princess," Iruka commented. "Have you learned what you wanted to learn?"

She smirked, and Iruka was reminded of a cat; he could imagine a long tail twitching behind her to match her internal musings. She looked at her guard for a long moment, while the guard continued to watch only him.

The Princess met Iruka's brown eyes. "Both you and I come from worlds where an indirect approach is common sense," Tomoko's voice seemed tired. "I see now that perhaps in your case, Umino-san, directness might have been a better choice."

Iruka frowned. Would it have helped if she'd been direct when she'd first come into the training grounds? Was she being direct now? He wasn't sure there was anything she could say or do that would crack through his predetermined dislike. She'd dug herself a fairly deep grave with all the antics, and not just the ones here.

He sighed, scratching his nose and tucking a stray lock of hair behind his ear, thinking of something he'd been taught a long time ago. He spoke to himself as much as to her. "If you only look for enemies, enemies are all you'll find. But a true shinobi learns to look below the surface, and then underneath that to find the truth."

"You are very wise, Umino-san." Tomoko inclined her head. The remark was surprisingly open.

Iruka chuckled, shaking his head. He'd heard it from Kakashi often enough. "Not really. I just try to learn something from everyone. Especially from those who are too smart for their own good."

She raised a curious eyebrow, and Iruka felt a slight flush on his cheeks. Why did it always happen when he was thinking of Kakashi? He scratched his neck, glancing away from the intensity of the Princess' stare.

"I see," she said finally. "I wonder if you might give me a tour of the Academy?"

He wasn't sure what he saw in her face–thirst? Iruka considered, though it was an odd request. "I would, but I'd have to have Tsunade-sama's permission."

"I see," Tomoko half-smiled a glimpse beneath her Princess persona. "And the Hokage is the one who assigns the students to the teachers, I take it?"

Iruka nodded, trying to decide if there was anything in the question that he shouldn't answer. If she was trying to get information on Sasuke, hearing that the Hokage had put him in his classroom wasn't anything she could use against them, could she? She'd all but admitted that she knew Sasuke had studied under him at the academy, so he hadn't told her anything she didn't already know.

His eyes widened in surprise when Tomoko actually bowed to him, "You have been a great help, Umino-sensei. I shall take my leave; I've no wish to further disturb your training." She raised herself, standing regally in the sunshine once more. "Thank you very much."

"Er… no problem," Iruka replied, a little unsure of what all this meant. He still didn't quite trust her motives. "Only–" He took a deep breath, collecting his thoughts once more. "I take being a teacher very seriously. And I always look out for my students."

"Especially the hyperactive blond," Mozuku said under his breath, and Iruka turned to gape at his friend.

"Pardon?" Tomoko asked, though Iruka thought she'd probably heard it anyhow.

Mozuku gave him a sly wink while answering, "Here's a lesson for you, Princess: Don't go playing any games with Uzumaki Naruto, or you'll have to answer to Iruka-sensei."

"Mozuku," Iruka slugged him on the shoulder hard enough to show his indignation, and then a second time for the embarrassment. The other teacher chuckled, moving a half-step further away.

"Uzumaki Naruto?" The Princess repeated, confused, "The Chuunin who shouted at everyone during registration? You mean he's one of your students?"

Iruka glared at all of them, even the Samurai. "Uzumaki Naruto is a fine shinobi of the highest caliber, and yes, he did graduate from my class." He waited for any further disparaging comments, forming a mental list of all of Naruto's best qualities in order to make a swift counterattack.

"I look forward to watching him in the Hunt, then," Tomoko declared, and he wanted to smack her for sounding so indulgent.

"As do I," Hisagi agreed, and Iruka expected to see sarcasm somewhere on his face. But the quiet Samurai was no less serious in the sentiment than he had been about his patron's safety. "He's a warrior, underneath."

Iruka smiled at the practical application of his lover's famous teaching. "Yes, he is." Iruka wondered if he would be friends with Hisagi were the situation a bit different; he thought Naruto would definitely like him.

"Then we shall be on our way, Umino-sensei." Tomoko bowed respectfully, making him feel slightly awkward, especially when her guard did the same thing. "Thank you again for the lessons. I won't forget."

"Er… You're welcome," Iruka replied, touching his neck.

"Good luck tonight!" Tomoko waved, grinning in her signature, sly way.

Iruka sighed when the two had walked out of sight on their way to the exit. He put the heels of his hands into his eye-sockets, blocking everything out for a moment. What a strange encounter.

"You all right?" Mozuku asked him, and Iruka chuckled with his eyes closed.

"Did any of that make sense to you?" he asked, rubbing his face and opening his eyes to regard his comrade while he considered the question.

Eventually Mozuku shrugged, "Maybe if we get some food, we can figure it out."

"Yes," Iruka laughed, "That's exactly what my… er, friend says all the time."

"Says what, exactly?" Mozuku eyed him askance, and they began to walk towards the exit.

"That a full belly always helps to solve problems." Iruka blushed; acutely aware of how much Kakashi was on his mind. Was it because he was hungry? Or was it because he could still feel…

"Is that why you're always eating Ramen?" Mozuku fastened the gate securely, and put his hands in his pockets.

Iruka frowned, "I don't always eat Ramen…"

"Not just you," Mozuku smirked, "You and him. Is that why you two are always eating Ramen?"

"Er… I don't…" Iruka floundered, totally at a loss. He and Kakashi almost never ate Ramen–in fact they were almost never together in public at all. What was Mozuku talking about?

Mozuku watched him, and Iruka got more and more uncomfortable under his scrutiny. Just when he thought he couldn't stand the silence anymore, Mozuku walked past him and continued on the path that eventually led to the village. Iruka bit his lip as he caught up to him.

"You know, Iruka," Mozuku glanced at him when their strides had aligned, "We've been friends for a long time. So anytime you have something to share, feel free. I know how to keep things to myself."

Iruka looked at him sharply, his gut clenching with dread. Could he somehow have found out? No, it wasn't possible. Mozuku couldn't suspect Kakashi. He was just being supportive, since the whole thing with the Princess was so unexpected. Iruka put his hands in his pockets too, though it didn't really help him stop worrying. His fellow teacher cleared his throat before continuing.

"And I don't think it's weird, or anything," Mozuku didn't glance at him this time, his gaze straight ahead. "It's not like he's a kid anymore."

Iruka halted in his tracks, stunned. Kid? Kid? Could he… could he mean…? Good heavens! He pictured Naruto's grinning face, and immediately wished he hadn't.

"No, no, no, no, no, no!" Iruka crossed his wrists and gestured along with the string of no's.

"No?" Mozuku stopped and looked at him, more curious than accusatory.

"No!" Iruka shook his head, voice firm. "It's not like that at all. He's my student!" He ran an agitated hand over his ponytail.

"Okay, okay, calm down. I believe you," Mozuku chuckled, jerking his head to invite him to catch up. Iruka sighed, exasperated, shortening the distance so they could walk together out into the back schoolyard of the Academy.

"It's just…" Mozuku shrugged, "Iruka, you've been different the last few months. So when I heard him yelling for you a few days ago in the Academy, and then saw you running after him yesterday… I just wondered."

Iruka shook his head, appalled at the idea, though he could see how the evidence had been misconstrued. "Naruto is like my baby brother, Mozuku. And we probably do eat a lot of Ramen, but that's all!" He sighed again, and glared when his friend laughed at him.

"I said I believed you, okay?" Mozuku was still grinning, and Iruka felt another flush creeping up his neck.

"Good," Iruka said, taking a deep breath. He was really rather hungry now, and was glad they'd almost made it to the village. He wanted a great big bowl of chocolate ice-cream.

"So what do you want to eat?" Mozuku asked when they'd come around to face the street. Iruka answered immediately—

"Not Ramen!"

Mozuku laughed hard enough that he had to sit in the single swing hanging in the front courtyard until it subsided. Iruka flushed, and tapped his foot impatiently, turning his head the other way when he felt the first twitch of a smile on his own lips, despite how hard he fought it.

Good god! What on earth would Kakashi say about this?

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Sasuke had left his house with doubts, but after the long period of training with Naruto out on the Uchiha grounds he had to admit that he felt invigorated. His muscles burned and his skin and hair dripped with sweat, but all in all the practice session had been a success.

Sasuke reached out a hand to help Naruto up from the grass where he'd collapsed, and when his teammate accepted the offer it felt natural. Just something that teammates do. He heaved and the blond pulled himself up, and they both nodded through their labored breathing in acknowledgment that they'd finally mastered the last combination. If he didn't know better, he'd think he was feeling giddy excitement–but that would have been illogical.

"Man, that was some move you came up with right at the end," Naruto laughed, stretching his shoulders by rotating his arms like a windmill.

Sasuke shrugged off the compliment, but he had to agree. And it was nice to hear. If he was lucky, Naruto wouldn't follow it up with something idiotic. He started to head back across the open field they'd been training in so they could eat something for dinner; the sunlight was already shifting into darker yellows and oranges.

"Of course, if I hadn't caught you at the right moment, you would have gone splat!" Naruto laughed, and Sasuke bristled at the way it amused him. He wouldn't have gone "splat", that moron.

"Are you going to be this much of an idiot all night?" he asked, glancing over in irritation as they retraced their steps back to the house.

"Why?" Naruto took a step sideways and nudged him with his shoulder, his hands full of their torches. "You like it?"

He laughed again, and Sasuke put several feet of space between them, scowling. Why was he trying to be cute? It was annoying that he'd succeeded more than he'd failed so far that day. They didn't have time for stuff that wasn't related to the Hunt.

Once inside the entryway, Sasuke took off his sandals while Naruto unzipped his jacket and hung it on the hook. It wasn't clean anymore, but it wasn't nearly as dirty as the last jacket he'd hung there. Sasuke went into the kitchen to get two glasses of water.

"Man, I'm hungry," Naruto said as he joined him. "You know what?"

Sasuke glared at him as he handed over the first glass of water. "If you say another stupid thing I'm sending you home."

"Jeez, so testy," Naruto complained, taking several swallows and watching him with eyes sparkling. Sasuke took his own glass of water all the way to the other side of the island. So he could get out the tea, of course.

"I was just going to say that if Sakura-chan were here, she'd have brought her special Ohagi for us. That would taste so good right about now." Naruto finished his glass, and got himself another.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow, picking out a refreshing blend of tea. "Just be glad she's not here."

"Why? She makes it less sweet for you," Naruto leaned against the counter by the sink, linking his hands behind his head in his signature at-ease pose.

"Do you really want to fight her in the Hunt?" Sasuke asked, by way of answering.

"No way!" Naruto shook his head, but he was grinning. Sasuke filled the teakettle and moved back to the stove. "But that reminds me, she sent us a letter." Sasuke glanced over while Naruto fished in his pants pockets, finally producing a rather crinkled envelope and offering it to him.

"You actually checked your mailbox?" Sasuke took the letter without touching Naruto's fingers, turning it over and pulling out the single page with Sakura's writing on it.

"No," Naruto admitted, "Ero-Sennin gave it to me this morning when we had Ramen." He slowly drained his second glass of water.

"Hn," Sasuke leaned against the island and began to read.

Sakura was smart to send it to the Hokage tower; Naruto never remembered to check his mailbox even though he exchanged letters with people from all over. Sasuke didn't check his own mailbox for a reason–there was never anything interesting there. All the people important to him were right here in Konoha, and he wasn't exactly the letter-writing type.

Sasuke winced at the mention of Dango, but found it interesting that Suna didn't have it. He winced again at the mention of a birthday present; Sakura was the type of girl to remember these kinds of things and want to exchange birthday presents even though they were old enough to skip it altogether. He wondered what she'd come up with this time–she was smart, but she didn't know that gifts always reminded him of Itachi.

Nobody else's were the same. Therefore, nobody else's were as good.

The comment about Gaara made him frown. He was one of the few, if not the only Ninja they knew that consistently paid more attention to Naruto than to him. Sasuke didn't care what Gaara thought about him personally. But he found it strange that while everyone else seemed to leap at the chance to fight with him, Gaara only sparred with Naruto outside his own people. It didn't matter if it was in Suna, or in Konoha.

Sasuke wondered why it bothered him at all; the Kazekage could choose anyone he wanted to spar with. But maybe that was it–he always chose Naruto. Sasuke returned the letter to the envelope, and scowled. The scowl must have been deep when he looked over at his teammate, because Naruto sighed in exasperation.

"What's wrong now?" He asked, and Sasuke put the letter down and turned to get out some tea cups. The water would be boiling in another minute.

Sasuke shrugged, "Nothing."

"Whatever," Naruto picked up the letter and put it back in his pocket. Sasuke got their tea ready, and was pouring the water carefully when Naruto started to take off his shirt.

Sasuke stopped pouring, watching the gradual exposure of Naruto's well-muscled torso as he peeled the black fabric up and over his head. Naruto might not have meant it to be seductive–Sasuke didn't expect Naruto to think of doing it on purpose–but it was definitely more skin than he wanted to see right then. He had a mental argument with places in his body that were trying to convince him otherwise.

"If you're that dirty, go take a shower," he said, forcing himself to continue pouring their tea. The words came out less angrily than he'd meant it, which annoyed him.

"Nah, it's just sweat. The shirt was sticking to me," Naruto said, face innocent while he balled up his shirt and wiped more sweat from his body. "We trained pretty hard."

"So get out of my kitchen and go get cleaned up," Sasuke put the kettle back on the stove and pushed over a steaming mug of tea.

Naruto rolled his eyes, "I thought we were eating first?"

"I can make dinner without you," Sasuke raised an eyebrow sarcastically. "It'll be ready by the time you're finished."

Naruto sighed, but picked up the tea mug and turned to go upstairs. "So what are we having?"

Sasuke smirked, folding his arms. "If you're back in three minutes I'll give you one guess."

Naruto eyed him, taking another small step closer to the stairs. "Since when do you keep Ramen around, huh? Sasuke?"

Sasuke's heart skipped a beat–Naruto knew, and was telling him that he knew! His black eyes narrowed, angry at the feeling that he'd been caught having done something naughty. It was only containers of dry noodles, not something completely scandalous like a secret stash of miniskirts, or gay sex manuals. He straightened his spine before answering.

"We'll need the carbs, moron." He glared, and it had practically no effect.

"Of course, of course," Naruto flashed a cheeky grin. "Not because you like it."

Sasuke opened his mouth to retort, but Naruto stuck his tongue out and then dashed up the stairs. He gritted his teeth against the urge to punch something; Naruto really was the most aggravating, worst teammate he could ever have. Not to mention the biggest idiot.

Sasuke scowled and refilled the teakettle, setting it to boil again while he got out an armload of Ramen cartons from his pantry. He shook one to deliberately crumble up the noodles, and then set them on the island counter and buried his face in his hands. What in the hell was wrong with him?

He'd spent years around Naruto being affected by his wild energy and expressive personality without succumbing to the desires they inspired. Yet here, today, he felt like a nervous wreck. All he wanted to do was prepare and train for tonight's competition, but it was rather difficult to focus on what they had to do as a team with Naruto so… so…

Distracting? Unnerving? What was it?

It's not like Naruto had tried anything funny. Was he relieved? Disappointed? Sasuke clenched his jaw, trying to clear his head and get through the next few hours. Hopefully the adrenaline of the Hunt would resolve the tension; he could feel it aching in his neck and shoulders. He rubbed his neck for a minute, then set to work preparing their Ramen.

It was unfortunate that while Itachi had protected him from many things, he couldn't really protect him from Uzumaki Naruto.

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Iruka dressed down after his long shower, taking a break from the feel of combat gear after so much continuous practicing. The sun was starting to set in a tawdry splash of colors, and he breathed in the scents of summer mixed with the assorted Festival smells as he set off for his student's apartment one last time before the Hunt.

He did not want to imagine what Mozuku would say if he knew how many times he'd been here over the last couple of days, but it still didn't keep the slight flush from his skin when he arrived at the building.

Iruka leapt up to Naruto's floor instead of bothering with the stairs, and knocked on the door, looking out over the street while he waited for a response. He got lost in his own thoughts while watching the people below, and it was several minutes before he realized Naruto hadn't answered. Iruka sighed. He hadn't really expected an answer after so much silence; Naruto's focus and will would keep him out training until the very last minute.

Descending back down to street level so he could travel through the Festival crowds, Iruka found the time alone to be refreshing. He went unthinkingly to Ichiraku's, having decided that he really did want Ramen, even if he couldn't find Naruto, and even if it somehow had been made into something unseemly by his friend. It was not unseemly, and Iruka would have some Ramen for dinner just to prove it.

He ducked under the curtain, and gave a beaming smile to the proprietor. "Iruka-sensei!" Teuchi exclaimed happily.

"Good evening," Iruka greeted him, sitting at the counter a few stools down from a couple he didn't recognize.

"The usual?" Teuchi smiled, wiping his hands on his apron.

"Yep," Iruka nodded. Teuchi went immediately to his preparation area, and Iruka watched the process with his cheek on his palm until the heaping bowl of Ramen was set in front of him. He grinned his appreciation and reached for some chopsticks.

"Hey, Teuchi-san," Iruka asked, the man leaning against his counter attentively. "You haven't seen Naruto today, have you?" He stirred his noodles.

"Ah, yes!" Teuchi nodded, and Iruka perked up. "He was here first thing this morning with Jiraiya."

"Jiraiya?" Iruka's brows shot up in surprise. It had been months since the Sannin had last been in Konoha.

"Oh yes," Teuchi confirmed, "The Legendary Frog Hermit himself!"

"Well then," Iruka slipped a wry curve into his smile, understanding why he hadn't been able to catch Naruto at his apartment. Obviously Naruto had to take advantage of any time the Sannin had for him, which was even more impossible to schedule than anything with Kakashi.

"Aaaaaah! Iruka-sensei!"

Iruka swiveled on his stool to see another of his students pointing at him. He grinned, "Konohamaru!"

"Where did Naruto go, the toilet?" He craned his neck to see if there was a steaming bowl next to Iruka.

"Nope," Iruka shook his head, "Naruto's not here."

"Darn it." Konohamaru sighed. "Then if he wasn't at his apartment, he must be out training. I better hurry up then!"

Iruka laughed, gesturing to the empty stool beside him. "Have a seat while Teuchi-san gets your order."

They talked and joked, and eventually parted ways; Iruka ambled back to his side of town with a full belly and a light heart. If Naruto was with Jiraiya, he'd be fine, and it had been nice to have different company for dinnertime Ramen. He hadn't seen much of Konohamaru since he'd started dating Hyuuga Hanabi. Those two had hit it off sometime during last year's Chuunin exam, and had been inseparable ever since.

Mozuku had said Iruka had been different for months, and… well, he was different. He had Kakashi now.

Iruka smiled, thinking of all the reasons he loved that Jounin, and decided to clean the kitchen table when he got home.

Just in case.

---

--

---

Sasuke was still reading.

Naruto frowned, seated at the low living room table, his fourth instant Ramen carton empty and pushed to the side. Things were still awkward, even after all the practicing they'd done that afternoon, perfecting their "teamwork" for the Hunt.

Outside in the grass, under the warm rays of the sun, coordinating their movements and matching their physical strengths had become seamless and second-nature. But inside the house, showered and now fed–the gulf between them seemed bottomless. Maybe fighting was easier; they'd done it for so much longer.

The Hunt would begin in six hours.

"Hey… Sasuke?"

Naruto watched his rival's eyes flicking over the printed characters in front of him, brows furrowed in that way they did when he was completely absorbed in some kind of tactical analysis. He wished he could turn the clock back; he'd gotten a small taste of what it was like to be the subject of Sasuke's thorough analysis on First Night. Naruto's body was growling… but Sasuke seemed to have no appetite.

Sasuke didn't look up from his manual, turning the page and murmuring distractedly, "Hmm?"

Naruto bared his teeth, trying not to sound as annoyed as he felt. He didn't want to fight anymore, despite feeling restless and agitated. "What are we practicing next?"

Sasuke looked up for the briefest of moments, "Nothing."

"But–" Naruto paused, confused. They still had time–had they really practiced enough? "Are we ready? We've got time for more training; let's go do that last combo again."

"No," Sasuke's voice was carefully blank. "We've trained as much as we can for today. I think we can pull it off, when the time comes."

Naruto folded his arms on the table. He looked around the room, restlessness creeping into his legs and feet. Sasuke was just sitting there, reading. Wasn't there something they should be doing? Some other kind of preparation? They'd already picked out their gear and weaponry, and had everything laid out for when it was time to get ready to leave; Sasuke's efficiency truly left no option save for idleness. Naruto shifted his position, staring at the ceiling, toying with his chopsticks.

"Naruto, go to sleep." Sasuke still didn't look at him, but Naruto was now looking squarely at Sasuke's dark bangs, hanging down across his eyes as he continued to read.

"What do you mean, go to sleep?" he asked.

Sasuke sighed, and glanced up at him, "Go to sleep. There's nothing to do now but wait for it to get dark."

"I'm not tired. Shouldn't we be training instead?" Naruto watched him intently.

"We're going to be up the entire night. It makes the most sense to sleep for the last few hours. Go upstairs, and go to sleep."

Naruto scowled, prickling at the way Sasuke's calm voice seemed to patronize him, "Well what are you going to do, then?"

"I'm going to finish reading this, and then I'll sleep." Sasuke made no movement or expression to go with his words, sitting in that completely still way across the table, eyes glued to the pages of his book. Naruto got angry.

"Just where am I supposed to sleep then, Sasuke?"

Naruto saw his rival's lips press just a tiny bit thinner. It made him irrationally happy to crack through the appearance of total indifference.

Sasuke gave a little sigh, his voice tight. "Upstairs."

Naruto glared. He was being dismissed. Fine. He got to his feet, "Fine, I'm going to sleep now. Enjoy your book."

He left the room and didn't look back, marching loudly up the steps all the way to Sasuke's room. He went through the door, stomping across to the huge bed and stripping down to his boxers, leaving shirt and shorts in a heap wherever they happened to land. He didn't care if Sasuke didn't like it. He threw back the covers, got into the very middle of the bed, and took up as much space as he could. So there.

A minute later, he folded his hands underneath his head and scowled at the ceiling. This wasn't what he wanted.

He tried to force sleep anyways, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath to relax. He took two more before he felt calm enough to succeed; it was difficult after being so worked up all day. Training, learning some new moves, having to match everything he did to what Sasuke was doing…

What was the point if they were still going to be so divided? He turned on his side, pulling the blankets over his shoulder and staring at the far wall. They were rivals, yes. But they were also more–and that modification of their rivalry was the real source of the awkwardness.

On both their sides, things had gotten screwed up yesterday. It was frustrating to know that things would be happening radically differently if this Hunt wasn't taking place at the exact same time their relationship was changing. He was sure that he'd definitely not be alone in this giant bed right now, had the circumstances been different.

Naruto eyed the edge of the pillow next to him. He was in Sasuke's bed. But he was by himself, and he was angry, and he was frustrated. Not exactly the way he imagined it. He shut his eyes. Well, maybe the quality of the mattress and the softness of the sheets was like he imagined it. And the faint scent of Sasuke that permeated the fibers of the pillowcase, like he'd recently slept with his hair still wet.

Naruto rolled over onto his stomach, pressing his nose into the pillow, trying to intoxicate himself enough to actually fall asleep like he was supposed to do. It didn't make it any better that he could see the sense in what Sasuke had said–sleeping was a good move considering the intensity of the Hunt and the time of night that it would be taking place. But the disappointment of Sasuke choosing to stay downstairs stung viciously, depriving him of any chance he'd had to get some rest.

Naruto flung back the covers and got out of bed. It didn't make sense for him to sleep if Sasuke wasn't going to sleep as well. And he just knew Sasuke was trying to be a martyr, acting cool and trying to make it through the Hunt without any sleep at all instead of just coming upstairs. If they were supposed to work together, then sleeping in the same room, in the same bed shouldn't be so hard. It wouldn't be the first time, anyhow.

He thumped down the steps and stood in the doorway to the living room, hands on his hips. The only reaction he got from Sasuke was a faint twitch of irritation at his interruption.

"Oi." Naruto didn't yell, though he wanted to.

Sasuke sighed, and lifted his eyes, scowling through his hair. Sasuke's eyes widened, and Naruto's insides squirmed- what kind of look was that? He didn't have a chance to decide; whatever it was slipped away again, leaving his rival's eyes their usual, clear deep black.

"Why aren't you sleeping, Naruto?" Sasuke's voice was thin, like the line of his lips.

"How can I when I know you're down here?" Naruto protested, "If I should sleep, then you should sleep too."

Sasuke closed his book, "Did I say I wasn't sleeping?"

Naruto pointed at him, "No, but you aren't sleeping."

Sasuke glared. Naruto glared back.

After a minute of silence, Sasuke got to his feet, slowly and gracefully the way he did just about everything. Naruto couldn't help but appreciate the sight of him, although he also wanted to punch him. Hard. Sasuke moved past him and began to walk up the stairs, unhurried.

Halfway up the first flight Sasuke paused, looking over his shoulder ominously, "I'll go upstairs, if it's the only way to make you go to sleep." He turned back around and continued up the steps. "I would hope you'd be taking this competition seriously."

"I am, Sasuke. That's why I came back down here." Naruto replied, following behind him.

They didn't speak after that, just walked up the steps until they reached Sasuke's bedroom. Sasuke went through his door, and then turned, reclining on the red sofa with his feet stretched out in front of him. He opened his book back up.

"What the…?" Naruto was close to shouting. He clenched a fist.

Sasuke arched an eyebrow, and nodded towards the bed. "You can have the bed." As if to make this offer seem more logical, Sasuke shifted down on the sofa so he was lying on his side, his head propped on his elbow and the armrest, making an unreasonable effort to appear perfectly comfortable.

Naruto gaped at him, irritation surging through his chest. Was he serious? He then closed his mouth, and for the second time, stomped over to the bed, threw back the covers, and settled himself in the center. He pulled the covers up to his chin and scowled at the ceiling, and then at the backs of his eyelids. The sound of a page turning nearly made him growl, and he turned over, facing the opposite direction of the bastard on the sofa.

He clenched his teeth. Well, Sasuke had done what he'd asked, and come upstairs so that he could be sure they both got some much needed rest. The Hunt would most likely be nonstop, and truthfully Sasuke was too smart to skip the chance to restore his chakra. It was too important not to.

Naruto sighed. Sasuke was being distant, businesslike. Formal. It was like he needed to be comfortable with being only teammates before moving forward again, although Naruto could tell that he wanted to…only Sasuke was letting something stop him.

Naruto was sick of being pushed away, but maybe this wasn't the right time to push back; they were both rather tense from the afternoon's practice and in a few short hours they'd have many more things to worry about than where to sleep in the meantime.

Sasuke had come upstairs. And he was watching over him, to make sure he got the sleep he needed. And he'd agreed to sleep some himself. Maybe it was enough.

Naruto yawned, and shifted further away from the center of the bed, getting comfortable on the far third. He'd leave plenty of room for Sasuke to join him when–or if–he changed his mind. Plus, he'd just thought of a really great idea, something better than what they'd planned. And he was sure Sasuke would love it.

A sudden yawn ruined his gleeful smirk, and Naruto took a deep breath, shifting the covers lower so he wasn't quite so hot, and letting his body slip into a light, but restful sleep.

---

--

---

When Naruto's breathing had evened out into a steady rhythm, Sasuke closed his book.

He hadn't really digested a lot of the information, using the book mostly as a way to separate himself from the awkwardness. Clean and fed and restless, Naruto's bottomless energy was a major distraction, and Sasuke wasn't going to give in to the pangs of hunger that had been bothering him all day.

Training with Naruto wasn't exactly fun, the way most people defined the word, but it was eventful and exhausting and thrilling somewhere in the frenzy. In the moments where everything had clicked, Sasuke had felt a sublime sense of satisfaction ripple through him. The combination of their joint techniques had meshed much sooner than he'd anticipated, with Naruto finally getting the hang of some of the more advanced maneuvers.

That Naruto could learn to do things so different from his natural style, and so quickly too, made Sasuke proud to be his teammate, not to mention eager to explore how else their combined skills could be put to use. He'd been hard pressed to master some of the things Naruto could do, and it was certain that Kakashi was going to have a heart attack when he saw them fighting jointly.

Of course… on the flip side to the situation, the sexual tension between them was mounting again, like it had over the days leading to First Night. Only this time it was happening exponentially–Sasuke was only too aware of how good it had been to let go and just feed their hunger until they were consumed by it. Like today, Naruto had been a very quick study, and the thought of surrendering to a similar, unrestrained passion made Sasuke react in a way he was increasingly less comfortable with. Not at all comfortable, really. The knots in his back and shoulders were proof.

Things were different now, the stakes were higher. This time, when–or if–they crossed over that line, it wouldn't be with the innocence of succumbing to moonlit desires. This time the meaning of their actions would be clear, and couldn't be dismissed by youth or hormones. Nearly losing that fragile bond had made everything they did now all the more important.

Still, for all the seriousness of their changing relationship, Naruto had not shown any fear. In fact, he'd been nothing but confident, and that confidence was reassuring, something to steady them enough to get them through their practice session without one of them snapping. But the look on his face as he'd climbed into bed by himself made Sasuke consider very carefully why he felt he'd had to stay on the couch.

Didn't he want to be there with him?

Naruto had clearly wanted, even expected his presence, without the invitation including activities other than simple sleep. Despite his obvious disappointment, Naruto had gotten in bed and gone to sleep anyways, so he obviously had seen the sense in getting some rest before the upcoming battles. So why did it seem so hard to share the same bed if it was only to recharge their chakra?

Sasuke frowned; roving his eyes over Naruto's sleeping form. He looked peaceful, his blond hair a little wild and his exposed back rising and falling evenly with each breath. There was certainly nothing intimidating about him when he was like that.

"All knowledge is worth having, little brother."

Sasuke heard the challenge in the memory of his brother's voice. He clenched his jaw.

Silently, he rose from his sofa. Stealth was one of his strongest skills, and he had no doubts at all about being able to get in or get out of bed without Naruto being the wiser. He could do it–climb in there next to him and sleep perfectly still, and then make sure he was the first to wake up. Naruto would never even know.

Besides, Sasuke had never slept on his own couch before, and he certainly wasn't starting now.

Very carefully, eyes trained on his rival's sleeping body, Sasuke crept across the surface of the bed, slow enough that not even the lightest sleeper would know what he was doing. He settled into the middle of the mattress, carefully tucking his feet and legs under the blankets, but not moving them from where they lay across Naruto.

Sasuke kept his head turned towards the blond, ready to spring back out of bed if Naruto so much as twitched, and settled himself on his back. He kept his breathing shallow, watching with tensed muscles for any sign that the blonde was waking up. After five whole minutes, with Naruto still in the exact same position and breathing the sleep of deep sleep, Sasuke began to relax.

He let his eyes follow the angular tufts of yellow hair on Naruto's head, as wild as the gestures he used. Sasuke moved his gaze to the crooked line where Naruto's shoulder and neck met, gravity pulling and bending it out of its natural shape. He traced the curve of Naruto's spine with his mind, feeling the place at the base where it would be slightly warmer than the rest of him.

Emboldened by Naruto's obvious unconsciousness, Sasuke didn't stop his hand from reaching out, sliding slowly and carefully across the gap between them. Lighter than a dandelion seed, he pressed the back of his hand against that warmth, fitting it into the inward curve and allowing contact to be made. Naruto didn't move a muscle.

Sasuke took a deep breath and let it out, relieved. He closed his eyes, feeling a contentedness that he'd never have expected from something so simple. Naruto was here; Sasuke wasn't alone. All the nerves in his hand told him it was true, madly firing signals to let him know that his teammate was there, asleep, safe and sound…

And rolling over.

Sasuke froze, too stunned to be horrified as Naruto changed positions while he slept, shifting over onto his back and trapping Sasuke's arm underneath his body. Most of Sasuke wanted to jerk his arm free, but he knew if he did that then Naruto was sure to awaken–which he hadn't done yet. Yet. Sasuke's heartbeat increased in mild panic as he debated what to do–couldn't Naruto tell that he was lying on something? That idiot!

Sasuke glared at Naruto's calm face, slack with repose. Naruto always slept on his back, he should have remembered–it's not like they hadn't been on away-missions before. He'd had plenty of chances to see the team sleeping while he was on watch. Kakashi was always perfectly still, and Sakura turned over and over in exactly the same tiny spot, her limbs tucked into her body protectively. But Naruto was always spread-eagled, taking up way more space than was his fair share and oversleeping more often than not. So irritating.

And the nightcap! What kind of animal was that anyways? He better not have brought it here.

When another several minutes passed without any further disturbance, Sasuke sighed. It wasn't like Naruto was going to wake up any time soon. And it would be too awkward to wake him now by moving away. And though he could probably extricate himself without waking Naruto, he refused to go back to the couch. This was his house, dammit. And his bed. So Naruto just had to share.

Annoyed, Sasuke adjusted his own position, turning towards his sleeping companion and easing the ache on his bruised shoulder from the angle his arm was trapped. It was too simple to drape his other arm over the blond's torso, since there was no other place for it to go, which in turn pinned Naruto's left arm between their bodies. Very carefully, Sasuke shifted down so that there was an area of Naruto's bicep to support his head, and then he got as comfortable as he could get, considering.

Sasuke could put up with it as long as Naruto stayed asleep, and he was confident that he could move away fast enough in an emergency. His internal clock would wake him at the proper time, and then he'd slip out of bed with the stealth he'd spent years learning from Kakashi.

Satisfied with this strategic reasoning, Sasuke allowed himself to relax for the time being. Naruto was right, they both needed to sleep, and sleeping this way was just as effective as any other. Sasuke closed his eyes and smelled the faint spicy energy that seemed to always be on Naruto's tanned skin. He could also smell the soap from his shower, but the traces of fighting spirit were more distinctive, and Sasuke focused on those while his own breathing evened out, and his limbs began to feel heavy.

Vaguely, Sasuke felt something strong and sure curve protectively around his back, familiar fingers gently stroking into his hair before he sank into a pleasant slumber.

---

--

---

It was late by the time Pakkun finally returned.

All the Lords had retired after an early supper, preparing for the night's activities the way Kakashi wished he could–taking naps and snoring in their beds with little other than gold and gambling on their minds. He had his clones in place once more, monitoring the two highest floors of the Inn. But he didn't expect to learn anything new at this point save for the one report from his dog that was–in his opinion–long overdue.

Things couldn't have been more boring, and he chewed a soldier pill to stave off the grumbling of various different areas of his body. Everyone was due at the Hokage tower at 11:00 for cocktails on the roof, which left about an hour for him to tie up the loose ends and report to Tsunade, and hopefully spend time with Iruka before the Hunt that didn't involve only putting clothing on.

He'd stationed himself in Ayame and Shizuka's room, since they had opted to remain in Tomoko's Suite while she was resting, with some other replacement Samurai on guard duty so that Hisagi could retire to the guard's quarters. Tomoko and Hisagi had returned from their excursion in time to switch with their doubles, taking their original seats near the Daimyo to watch the end of the Show.

When there had been no sign of an ardent Uchiha Sasuke bent on having his way with the Princess by dinnertime, Fujimiya had reluctantly decreased security back to original levels, much to everyone else's relief.

Kakashi was still analyzing the encounter at the Restricted Area; he had an idea what they were up to, but it seemed so farfetched he didn't want to say it until he absolutely had to. Yet it would be just like Tomoko to make decisions based on such things, or fixate on something illogical.

"He's exactly what I'd hoped for," the Princess had commented to Hisagi once they'd left the Restricted Area, and the Samurai had agreed, grudgingly allowing her to clasp his hand while they were shaded by the trees.

Kakashi gritted his teeth to think about how it might impact their lives if his guess was right, and if the Hokage conceded. He looked out the window, and was thankful that Iruka wasn't in mortal danger, regardless of his misgivings.

He was still standing at the window when Pakkun ran through the front doors of the Inn in search of him. Kakashi's stomach lurched with dread, and then again with the faint hope that he might finally be able to give his full report and go home, or really, go to Iruka. He'd realized some time ago that it had become the same.

Kakashi opened the window and climbed out onto the side of the building, sprinting down two floors to the window he'd unlocked the day before. He met Pakkun at the end of the hallway and together they leapt back the way he'd come until they were on the roof. Nobody had seen them. He sat down to hear what his dog had to say.

Pakkun shook himself from snout to rump, then plopped himself down on the ridged tiles as well. His small dark eyes squinted into an annoyed glare. "I'm guessing this had something to do with Sasuke again, didn't it Kakashi."

Kakashi sighed, "Well hopefully it'll be the last time for a while." He chuckled, and the attempt at humor fell flat.

"Hn," Pakkun turned away and looked out into the street. "Maybe if he ever learns how to make friends instead of enemies."

"Why Pakkun," Kakashi regarded his nin-dog critically, "That almost sounded like sympathy."

Pakkun's face wrinkled in defiance, "Oi Kakashi! Do you know what I've just been through to find out your information? Jackass." His last syllable continued into a growl.

"Aaaah, sorry sorry," Kakashi smirked, amused at the denial though he was tense with the need to get this over with.

"Let's see you try and unwrap something like that with no thumbs! And then have to tie it back!" Pakkun humphed, and Kakashi reminded himself not to actually pet him; flattery worked so much better as a means of pacification.

"That's why I know I can always count on you, Pakkun." Kakashi waited for him to continue, knowing that the testiness was in part a sign that whatever was in the case was really bothering the Pug.

After a few moments of silence which seemed like an eternity, Pakkun scratched his ear with his toes. "It took me a while, but I found out what you wanted to know. Snakes."

Kakashi jerked from the surprise. "Snakes?" The repetition sounded dumb even to him.

"Snakes, yes," Pakkun rolled his eyes, "You know, lizards with no legs? Snakes."

"Hmmm," Kakashi crossed his arms over his chest, mentally connecting the dots and not getting anything as lovely as the Big Dipper that was hanging in the sky above them. "How many?"

"Three. Aodaisho from what I saw," Pakkun reported.

Kakashi exhaled with relief. "Ratsnakes. Big, but not poisonous. And common enough to be virtually untraceable. They won't kill him." He wondered if that was what Ton-Ton had been smelling near the stables. Or if it was Aoba in disguise close by.

Pakkun looked up at him, and Kakashi saw the question on his wrinkly face. "Aoba has been paid to use them against Sasuke in the Hunt, to keep him from winning. Or he will be paid if he's successful."

"Tch," Pakkun scowled. "That's dirty."

Kakashi gave another flat chuckle, "A few days ago and you'd have appreciated the irony."

"Don't be ridiculous. Of course he deserves it, the little twerp."

Kakashi didn't comment. It was obvious Pakkun's opinion of Sasuke had softened somewhat, and the Pug was clearly in denial. It made Kakashi wonder what he'd witnessed yesterday that would have changed his mind about whether Sasuke had any redeeming qualities. He must have found at least one.

Kakashi stood on the roof's tiles and brushed off his pants. "Well I guess I have my own report to give."

Pakkun didn't move at first. Then he cocked his head. "Say hello to Iruka for me."

Kakashi laughed, and this time it held on to all his amusement. "Will do. And thanks."

Pakkun stood up and then poofed, and Kakashi rubbed his neck. He was very glad now that he hadn't approached Hana at the Stadium, even though Pakkun's nose was far superior. It was one thing to smell like your boyfriend's detergent; it was something else to smell like your boyfriend.

He didn't waste any time crossing the village to the Hokage tower. The Lords would soon be heading that way anyhow, and then Tsunade and her ANBU could pick up the watch. He couldn't wait to be out of it.

With the sounds of a string quartet wafting down from the roof, Kakashi appeared in front of the ANBU guarding Tsunade's office like he had before, but with enough room to let them know he wasn't a threat. He nodded, returning their silent nods, and the one on the right opened the door.

He hadn't gone more than a step before he realized that Tsunade wasn't inside. The man sitting at her desk seemed equally surprised, glancing up with a startled expression. Then he rolled his eyes and shook his head, muttering to himself while raising a lazy hand in greeting.

"Yo, Kakashi," Nara Shikaku smoothed the same hand back from his forehead in a gesture that vaguely resembled Iruka; the resemblance ended when he also stroked his wiry goatee.

"Yo," Kakashi put his hands casually into his pockets as he moved closer. Shikaku had a jumble of papers spread out in front of him, with tiny charts and even tinier digits inside them. His eyes looked a bit bloodshot.

"If you're looking for Tsunade-sama, she's not here," Shikaku said with a half-hearted gesture towards the ceiling. "She's up on the roof, organizing something or other for the big kick-off."

"Ah." Kakashi nodded his thanks, turning and taking note that the banquet tables from the morning had been covered and set, all the chairs turned to face a large bulletin board displaying a map. Kakashi had just recognized the area of Konoha forest that was depicted when Shikaku called out.

"Oi, Kakashi, wait," the Jounin stood from the desk, rubbing his neck. "I can't believe this…" he muttered, coming around to amble across the room. "Wait here. I'll go get her for you."

"Someone special up there?" Kakashi asked, curious that Shikaku would offer to go out of his way for something simple.

Shikaku shrugged, "Don't want to risk anyone seeing you, Copy Ninja Kakashi." Kakashi raised his brow and Shikaku chuckled, explaining.

"If that happens I'll have to redo all the odds for the Hunt, and it's troublesome enough to do so much math in the first place. All the odds get adjusted as the night goes on, you know."

Kakashi crinkled his eye as he smiled, "I wouldn't want to add to the workload, then."

Shikaku regarded him for a moment, "It's the mask. Makes you all mysterious and show-offy." Kakashi laughed, and Shikaku shook his head in a teasing, friendly way and headed over to the doors where he vanished.

Kakashi sighed. He went over to the map to have a closer look, and found approximately forty long stick-pins lined up at the bottom, each with a small paper tag. He bent over and inspected them more closely. The first tag said Yuuhi Kurenai, the next Hijiri Shimon. One for each of the competitors, he guessed, eyes flicking over the other visible names.

"Kakashi," Tsunade's heels clicked with a command that matched her voice. "What have you got for me?"

The Hokage was dressed in her formal robes, holding her hat in a manicured hand. Kakashi gave a bow of greeting, and immediately reported the facts.

"Lords Shimoda and Osada have hired Aoba to keep Sasuke from winning the Hunt. They've provided him with three Aodaisho to use during the competition to ensure it."

"I see," Tsunade crossed her arms, her brows creasing. "Isn't Sasuke…?"

"Yes," Kakashi nodded. "They'll be effective–"

"–while not actually killing him," Tsunade finished, grim. "I can't disqualify Aoba if he waits until things have started; it's my own rule. How do you think he knew?"

Kakashi shrugged, "All the Jounin knew what Orochimaru was trying to do–and who he was after–at that time. Sasuke's aversion to snakes isn't widely known, but it's not exactly top-secret how he reacts. Aoba is smart enough to have remembered, even though it's been many years."

"Hmmm," Tsunade began to pace, holding the Hokage hat behind her back. "Interesting. And Iruka?" She cocked her head and met his eye.

"The Princess did seek out Iruka, but they didn't discuss anything pertaining to the Hunt. He's not involved with any kind of intrigue." Kakashi reported.

"So what did she want, then?" Tsunade faced him, curious.

Kakashi hesitated. "I have a guess. But it's nothing she can act on until after the competition. With your permission I'd like to investigate further since it doesn't relate to tonight's event. I'll be able to report to you before she makes any moves."

Tsunade regarded him for a moment, and he didn't flinch. "Well. I do like how thorough you are, Kakashi, even if you're not always punctual." She smirked, "I suppose it's reasonable to follow up on her scheming; that girl is quite a handful."

"Oh yes," Kakashi replied–he didn't like the idea of her hanging around the village one bit.

"Hokage-sama," one of the ANBU alerted them as she opened the door, Jiraiya walking boldly past her into the room. He had his usual mischievous expression, eyes sparkling.

Tsunade scowled, and put her hands on her hips, "You're early, Jiraiya. The gamblers aren't assembling until 11:00."

"Well now," Jiraiya smirked, "I'll go if it's that important to you. But I thought you might want to know that your firework-technicians are busy assembling what looks like a canon on the roof."

"What!" Tsunade forgot her annoyance, exchanging it for exasperation. "I told him no cannons!"

Cannons? Kakashi tried to imagine what was being set up, recalling that Shikaku had mentioned a "kick-off." Jiraiya held open the door as Tsunade began barreling towards it.

She raised a hand as she moved away, "Good work, Kakashi. You're dismissed."

Jiraiya gave him a saucy wink as the Hokage passed him at the doorway, and then he too disappeared. Kakashi took a deep breath, and let it out. The relief was extreme, and immediate. He left the office and headed straight for his apartment to pack; he'd have about 90 minutes to spend with his lover before they both had to set out for the Hunt.

It didn't take him much time to gather what he needed, and before long he was dashing across the roofline of Hotarubi street. Kakashi entered Iruka's dark apartment through the kitchen window, eyeing the table fondly as he stepped down from the counter. The citrus smell was strong enough to penetrate through his mask, and Kakashi smirked to himself at Iruka's thoroughness. When he cleaned, he cleaned.

He opened the freezer and checked the ice-cream container, frowning. He'd been so certain Iruka would have gotten his message by now. Returning the carton to its place, Kakashi moved his things into the living room and crept towards the bedroom where he figured Iruka would be fast asleep. It was the smart thing to do before night competitions.

Sure enough, Iruka was sprawled underneath the blankets, his face turned towards the window as if expecting another nocturnal visit. Kakashi sighed at the sight of him, and pulled down his mask. Iruka wasn't sexy in a movie-star kind of way, but there were things about him that made Kakashi's very soul ache. He moved to the side of the bed and leaned a knee on its edge, bending down to lay a kiss on Iruka's scar.

Iruka stirred; Kakashi could feel him smile as it shifted the skin under his own lips, and then Iruka reached for him. He bent as those arms pulled him down, and Iruka kissed him, gently, and then opened his eyes.

"What kind of Prince are you?" Iruka asked with a hint of sarcasm, grinning at him in the soft moonlight that spilled into the room. "In stories the Prince is supposed to kiss the sleeping person's lips, not their nose."

"Hmmm," Kakashi considered the question, grinning back and getting comfortable, careful to keep the blankets between them. Iruka smelled fresh and clean, and Kakashi hadn't wanted to take the time to shower at his apartment when he could do it here. "So you're Sleeping Beauty, then?"

"Oi!" Iruka poked his chest in mock offense, knowing he was being teased. "I'm saying you should do these things properly. Like you mean it."

Kakashi grinned, smoothing Iruka's hair back from his face. "I'll try again, then."

This time the kiss wasn't just a fairy-tale wake-up kiss. It was good morning, good afternoon, good evening, and a bit of good night all in a breathless, flushed mixture. It went on until Iruka reached under the hem of his shirt, and then Kakashi broke it off.

"I need a shower," he said, moving Iruka's hand away but trailing his lips across to his lover's neck.

"Okay," Iruka sighed, turning his head to give better access while Kakashi grazed over the exposed tendons with his teeth. "But I insist on joining you."

Kakashi chuckled, "Thank God. I was hoping the idea of me naked in your shower would still be enough to get you out of bed."

"Every time," Iruka laughed, swatting his behind.

Showering had never felt so good, and not just because he had Iruka with him. The warm water that ran down his body also washed away the taint of all the unpleasantness he'd been observing over the last two days. None of that could reach him here, not while he was with such a wonderful, loving person as Iruka. He didn't want to admit it, but the Princess really could learn a thing or two from this Chuunin.

"Kakashi," Iruka said, holding him from behind while the water beat against his chest. Iruka nibbled the back of his shoulder, the soapsuds long gone from both of them.

"Hmm?" he replied, gently stroking the sides of Iruka's hips and bringing them forward against him.

"Whatever you're worrying about, stop it," Iruka squeezed him around the middle. "I can tell, because you keep tensing up."

"Is that so," he commented, smirking. "I can think of lots of ways to fix that." He turned around inside his lover's arms, reaching into dark, wet hair. Kakashi's arousal was obvious, though he'd been content enough with the simpler pleasure of bathing each other.

He kissed Iruka's mouth, their lips and hands sliding effortlessly along each other's skin from all the water. Iruka grazed fingernails down his back, and Kakashi squirmed against him, thrusting involuntarily from the pleasure. His lover broke their kiss to grin.

"So can I, " And then he turned them around and pressed Kakashi up against the tiles, winking suggestively and moving his mouth in a trail of kisses and bites, carving a downward pathway over his pale skin. The cool tiles, the hot water, and Iruka's practiced touch all cooperated in keeping his mind on the here and now, his heart spilling over along with his orgasm.

Before the warm water ran out, Kakashi returned the favor, showing Iruka exactly how much he loved him by not thinking of a single thing beyond ensuring his lover's total satisfaction.

They toweled each other dry, and dressed enough to be decent while they prepared a quick meal. Kakashi's stomach had given him away, and Iruka insisted that he eat something immediately.

"I'll fix some dinner, if you fix us both dessert," Kakashi grinned, pulling out some eggs from the refrigerator to make a quick omelet.

"Okay," Iruka was still scrubbing his hair with a towel, "But I think all I have is chocolate ice-cream."

"That's fine," Kakashi continued what he was doing, hearing the noise of the towel stop.

"Er… Really?" Iruka came closer, leaning against the counter next to him. He set the towel aside. "You'll actually have ice-cream?"

Kakashi laughed, "Sure. What's wrong with that?" He glanced away from his dinner to find Iruka frowning.

"You're not going to tease?" he asked, and Kakashi only grinned back at him in response. Iruka threw up his hands. "Fine, I'll get us some ice-cream. But if you make any smart remarks I'll throttle you."

"Whatever you say," Kakashi agreed amiably, watching Iruka out of the corner of his eye. He got out two bowls, and opened a drawer to get spoons. Seeing the drawer reminded Kakashi of something he'd been meaning to ask.

"Iruka, when did you start keeping lube in your miscellaneous drawer?"

Iruka turned mid-motion to look at him, gauging whether he was being poked fun at or not, and Kakashi did his best to look innocent. Eventually Iruka flushed, and closed the drawer, setting a spoon in each empty bowl with a nervous hand.

"Funny you should mention it," Iruka leaned back in the corner of the counter, crossing his arms. "Actually… I have a confession."

Kakashi raised both his eyebrows, surprised by the sudden seriousness of his boyfriend's tone. "Okay," he said, prompting. It didn't make him feel better that Iruka sighed, and colored a bit red, biting his lip.

Then he took a deep breath, "I… Well… I, er… accidentally told Naruto about our relationship. Last Monday."

Kakashi felt only slightly relieved–what did that have to do with lube? "I know," he admitted.

"You do?" Iruka started in surprise, and Kakashi nodded, a corner of his mouth twisting into a smirk.

"Oh," Iruka sighed, looking a bit worried. "Well it really was an accident–"

"–I know, Iruka," Kakashi chuckled, tilting the pan as he prepared his omelet. He waited for the rest- it was clear Iruka had more to get off his mind.

"Oh," Iruka said again. "Well… there's more." Kakashi nodded, turning the heat down so he could focus more on Iruka.

"Er… well you see," Iruka ran a nervous hand over his ponytail. "I … kinda gave him some lube, on First Night–"

"–On First Night?" Kakashi asked, incredulous. That explained why neither of them had had any. It was almost hilarious.

"Well," Iruka glanced away, turning incrementally more crimson, "Yes, because he was so nervous about making a move on Sasuke, and it seemed… well… at the time…"

Iruka bit his lip, and Kakashi could see that worry was quickly replacing the embarrassment on his lover's face. "Do you think we did the right thing, Kakashi?" Iruka asked him. His lover paused, looking off to the side. Then he looked back up, "Should we have encouraged them so much?"

Kakashi turned off the burner, flipping the omelet to cook its other side from the heat retained in the pan. He faced Iruka, thinking about the things he'd heard from Pakkun, and what he knew from their own experiences.

"Well, who can say?" He said gently. "You never know how these things will turn out, but at least they'll have the two of us for support, no matter what happens."

"I–" Iruka bit his lip. "I've never seen them like that, Kakashi. Naruto was so hurt, so angry… and Sasuke…" Kakashi knew he was referring to registration.

"It'll be okay," he tried to reassure him. "I sent Pakkun to watch over them, and he said they called a truce. I don't know if they've really made up, per se, but they're not fighting any more."

"Oh," Iruka said, digesting this information. "But will they? Do you think?"

Kakashi shrugged. "Once this is over, maybe. But I don't want you worrying about them, Iruka. They're old enough to figure this out on their own–just like you said to me before. Right?" He smiled, and was glad to see Iruka chuckle. Kakashi watched the Chuunin's cheeks flush a bit. "We just gave them a little push to get over the first hurdle. The rest is up to them."

"You know," Iruka chuckled, "I had a very… interesting conversation with Sasuke yesterday, before registration."

"Oh?" Kakashi inclined his head, curious.

"Yeah," Iruka nodded, the smile slowly fading. "He–nevermind. It was mortifying."

Kakashi laughed, "I wonder if it was anything like the conversation I had with Naruto."

Iruka looked up expectantly, and Kakashi touched his neck, remembering. "He's more insightful than people give him credit for. He knew exactly who–er, well how we prefer to do things."

"Don't look at me!" Iruka was immediately on the defensive.

Kakashi held a hand up, "I know you wouldn't tell him something like that, I'm not accusing."

"Of course I wouldn't!" Iruka huffed, and then pointed at him, "But don't you try and tell me you didn't tell Sasuke! He knew as well, and I know you're responsible for it, Kakashi!"

"I didn't tell him, actually." Kakashi laughed, trying to imagine Sasuke and Iruka talking about anything so personal. He wished he'd been there.

"Oh, come on!" Iruka looked exasperated, "There is no way he could have known something like that unless he heard it from you!"

Kakashi chuckled, catching Iruka's pointing finger so he couldn't try and smack him. "Would you believe me if I told you it was a jutsu gone awry?"

Iruka gaped, snatching his finger back, "That's the biggest load of cr–"

"–I swear, Iruka. It was an accident," Kakashi interrupted, grabbing Iruka's hands before he got too worked up.

"A jutsu?" Iruka eyed him in challenge, and he nodded. Iruka rolled his eyes, sighing with drama. "Nevermind, don't tell me. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. Who knows what can happen when two tensai put their heads together."

Kakashi laughed and pulled him into a hug. If Iruka only knew how close he'd been to the truth! "Let's not worry about all this right now, okay? So our students know we're in a relationship. Big deal." Iruka's arms wrapped around him, tight.

"And I'm sure after this competition, they'll kiss and make up," Kakashi rubbed the space between Iruka's shoulder blades. Or they'd fight more and screw each other senseless–but he figured that probably wouldn't be reassuring to Iruka.

"Will you answer a question for me, Kakashi?" Iruka said, nuzzling into his shoulder.

"Of course," he replied, holding him tight. His stomach growled, but for the moment they both ignored it.

"Explain to me about Genma," Iruka said, going very still.

Kakashi stepped back to look into his face, "Genma? What about Genma?"

Iruka frowned, searching his face, "Genma was all over you, Kakashi–what was that about?"

Kakashi suddenly remembered, and laughed. Iruka didn't look amused at all, so he kissed him. "You mean at registration?" Iruka nodded, and Kakashi explained. "Genma wasn't coming on to me or anything. He was just pretending to be Anko."

"Anko?" Iruka repeated the name sharply, completely confused.

"Yeah," Kakashi chuckled, "Anko. She's away on a mission, and Genma was pretending to flirt like her. It wasn't personal, Iruka."

Iruka glared, "You mean she does that to you?"

Kakashi shrugged, "She's like that with everyone, and no, I don't encourage it." He gave Iruka a squeeze, "Anyway, I think she's already dating someone; she was a lot worse a couple of years ago." He pursed his lips, wondering who it could be. It was another thing that hadn't ever seemed important enough to find out.

"Kakashi," Iruka sighed, his face pinched by his emotions. "I've been thinking. Maybe it's time we told–"

"–the Hokage?" he suggested, guessing what Iruka was going to say.

"–everyone?" Iruka finished, and they looked at each other with wide eyes.

Iruka started to back up and Kakashi didn't let him get very far, even though he'd been a bit caught off guard by that last word. "Iruka–"

"–Forget it," Iruka looked away, giving a nervous chuckle. "I didn't really mean everyone."

"Let's just think this through," Kakashi suggested, reaching to tuck that stray piece of Iruka's hair back in with the rest.

"Well," Iruka sighed, "I just think… Well aren't we missing out on stuff?" He bit his lip, and Kakashi waited for him to continue. "I mean, we pretend we don't know really know each other, and then, well, maybe I want to know what your friends are like."

"Hmm," Kakashi considered. If people knew they were together, it could pose a ton of risks. For one, people would know the easiest way to provoke him–he'd kill to protect Iruka. Or worse than kill, if it came down to it. Tomoko didn't know how lucky she was.

"Besides," Iruka gave a coy smile, "Then I could tell them to keep their hands off you."

Kakashi chuckled, "I think I'd like to see you do that."

"I bet," Iruka teased, reaching down to squeeze his buttocks. "Look, I know we decided things like this a while back, and I think we were right. But I feel like there's a lot that we give up by keeping things a secret."

"Hmmm," Kakashi nodded, "I was thinking today that we should tell Tsunade. But since Naruto and Sasuke both know, that opens other doors, too. It wouldn't be fair to keep Sakura in the dark, she's part of my team."

"I'd like to tell Mozuku," Iruka said, "He's been my friend for a long time. I think he'd understand, and I think you'd like him. He's good at cards."

Iruka smiled, and Kakashi had a wonderful vision of playing cards with them after hours in the empty mission office, or seeing Iruka go up against Raidou in Tequila shots at Genma's house.

Kakashi kissed him, long and sweet. "I think it's a great idea. But let's talk about it more after the Hunt."

"Oh my god!" Iruka whipped his head around to check the closest clock, "How much time do we have?"

Kakashi grinned, "Forty-five minutes. Time enough to rest before we finish getting dressed." He tugged on Iruka's arm, "Come on. I want to take a half hour cat-nap. I haven't slept much lately."

Iruka followed him with his laughter, and Kakashi moved his grip to clasp hands. He looked over his shoulder as he led them back to Iruka's bed. "But you still haven't answered my original question."

"Which one was that?" Iruka asked, climbing under the blankets next to him and fitting himself comfortably. Kakashi could smell his detergent, and smiled.

"Why do you suddenly have lube in the kitchen?" he asked again, cuddling closer and sighing as his body was finally permitted to relax completely.

"Oh," Iruka laughed against his shoulder, "I have it all over the apartment now."

"Oh really," Kakashi smirked against Iruka's crown.

"Yep," Iruka nodded. "Which means when the Hunt is over, we can have sex for every bottle you manage to find."

Kakashi laughed, "I hope there's more than one or two–"

"–Try twelve," Iruka sniggered, and Kakashi squeezed him tight.

"Did I say how much I love you, yet?" He asked, and Iruka moved to touch their lips together.

"No. But I know," Iruka whispered against his mouth.

Kakashi was just getting comfortable enough to drift into a brief slumber, when his stomach growled loud enough to startle them both.

"Your omelet!" Iruka started to wriggle away from him and he tightened his arms.

"Iruka, if you mess up this comfortable position we're in I might get cranky," he warned, smiling against his lover's hair. He heard Iruka sigh, and he reassured him further, "I promise to eat it cold. Just don't move."

"You're awfully demanding for an uke," Iruka teased.

"Yes, but you like it that way," he countered, and Iruka's sly laughter was the best thing he'd heard in two days.

He held Iruka close, and reveled in the comfort of being with the one he loved best.

---

--

---

Naruto woke up with a smile, although the sheet next to him was cool underneath his questing arm. Sasuke had clearly slipped out of bed some time ago without even leaving a warm spot to remember him by. Sneaky bastard.

Naruto smiled anyway.

He might not have noticed exactly when it had happened, but there was no doubt that Sasuke had changed his mind about the sofa, and that they'd slept a restful few hours comfortably sharing body heat just as if it was their normal practice. Sasuke had probably only joined him because he didn't think he'd be able to tell. But even in sleep it would have been impossible to completely ignore physical contact with his rival that finally wasn't combat-related, or how right it had been to sleep side by side.

Naruto sat up and stretched, hearing said rival moving around in the bathroom. Since the door was open enough to let a wedge of light into the room, Naruto went over to investigate.

He blinked at the bright lights above the bathroom mirror, and saw Sasuke standing at the sink, his discarded shirt and hitai-ate near him on the counter. He was in the middle of rubbing the Aburame ointment into the skin of his left arm, and looked up when he realized Naruto had opened the door and was leaning in the doorway. Naruto's stomach flipped at the various things Sasuke's eyes were trying not to show him.

"Think it's going to work?" Naruto nodded towards the glass jar, choosing a safe topic to break the ice.

"It should." Sasuke dipped his fingers into the jar and spread more ointment up to his shoulder. "But that's why I made Plan B." Naruto stayed where he was, content to watch the fascinating way Sasuke's skin shimmered from the oils in the substance, and really he just couldn't make himself look anywhere else.

"I'm almost done. You can have the bathroom in a minute," Sasuke's brows furrowed as he glanced over, and Naruto caught the hint. But he wasn't going to make it that easy to push him away. This was getting ridiculous.

"Here, I'll get your back." Naruto offered, moving over to the counter and swiping some ointment from the jar before Sasuke could protest.

He moved behind his teammate and began to rub it into that space between the shoulder blades that nobody could reach comfortably on their own. Sasuke stiffened, and Naruto could feel a glare reflecting at him off the mirror, but he ignored it. He reached around his rival's waist to get more ointment with his other hand.

"How thickly are you putting it on?"

"Enough to leave a film after it soaks in," Sasuke replied, switching arms. "It didn't exactly come with directions, you know."

Naruto slid both his hands over Sasuke's back, smearing the ointment over his muscles evenly and ignoring the sarcasm along with the glare. Sasuke might not like it, but Naruto thought it was time to get past all the awkwardness, and this was a surprisingly simple opportunity. He was careful to keep his hands strong and sure and non-sexual, even though it was very hard to keep his mind away from how good it felt to be touching Sasuke again. Sasuke, of course, was very tense.

"Jeez, Sasuke, you're so tense. Are you sure you really slept like you were supposed to?"

Naruto met his rival's black eyes in the mirror with a teasing sparkle, continuing to rub where the muscles were the tightest. He could see the shrewd flicker in their inky depths, and grinned before starting to work out the kinks beneath Sasuke's skin in earnest. It was just beginning to work when Sasuke tried to shrug him off.

"I'm fine, Naruto," Sasuke rolled his shoulders and moved away.

Naruto tugged him back and squared Sasuke's shoulders with his hands, "Don't be an ass, Sasuke. It's no good if you're this tense." He kept a steadying hand on his rival's side and used the other to keep smoothing out the tension. He looked into the mirror and met dark eyes. "It's what teammates do. Right?"

Sasuke lifted his chin defiantly, but made no further comment. Naruto watched him reach for the ointment and continue what he'd been doing before, slathering his right arm in neutral efficiency. After a while, the muscles in Sasuke's back returned to their normal firmness under Naruto's ministrations.

They'd both learned enough about anatomy to handle minor injuries on missions when not teamed with a medic-nin. They'd both do whatever it took to help everyone on the team get through a mission, even if it meant massaging the cramps out of each other's worn out limbs. But a mission environment wouldn't have been quite this awkward.

When he'd finished, Naruto ran satisfied hands up the sides of Sasuke's back, but frowned at the stiffness he found around his neck, like all the knots had just climbed up his spine to settle on his shoulders. He reached for the ointment and set to work, sliding his fingers up into Sasuke's hair. His rival twitched, and Naruto saw goose flesh prickle across the gleaming skin, but he didn't look at Sasuke in the mirror. He chose not to call attention to the involuntary reaction, and just kept doing what he was doing so that Sasuke would relax.

Sasuke might not have realized it, but this, Naruto thought, was almost as important as everything else they'd practiced and perfected that afternoon. You couldn't fight alongside someone if you were nervous around them. Battle frenzy might help make you at ease in your own skin, but it wasn't going to be like that the entire night. How could they expect to pull off their moves if they weren't completely sure the other's hand would be right where it was supposed to be?

The time for simulation was over.

Naruto let go of Sasuke's shoulder to move both his hands up the sides of his neck in unison, eliciting a sharp gasp. This time, when Naruto glanced up into the mirror Sasuke's eyes were closed, and so Naruto kept going, stroking the sinews and cramped muscles with gentle, sure fingertips. Sasuke gripped his right elbow with his left hand and kept his eyes closed, as if willing himself to stay still. Naruto teased and coaxed the tension out of his teammate, trying to cause as few goose bumps as possible, but it was hard–Sasuke's neck was highly sensitive. Naruto remembered all too well.

He was surprised Sasuke allowed it to go on as long as it did; just a moment ago he'd been trying to send him away and shake off his touch. But Sasuke bore it in his silent way, his closed eyelids effectively blurting out that he enjoyed what Naruto was doing more than he ever wanted to let on. Naruto continued, his mouth dry from the effort of keeping his hands only on Sasuke's neck. The small tremor that rippled across Sasuke's shoulders when Naruto stroked both his hands over pale collarbones nearly made him lose all self-control.

He settled for brushing his lips across the nape of Sasuke's neck instead, pushing the dark hair aside and bumping his nose on the back of Sasuke's skull when his rival inhaled abruptly from the touch. Scrunching his face once or twice to get rid of the discomfort, Naruto tilted his head and then moved forward again, holding Sasuke still and gently licking the ointment-softened skin of his regal neck.

Sasuke exhaled audibly, reaching both hands to the counter in front of him and leaning his weight into his palms. Naruto nibbled the skin next, glad that the ointment had no taste as well as no scent; he didn't want anything to diminish the unique flavor of Uchiha Sasuke. After a moment, Sasuke raised his head to give Naruto better access, surprising him by chuckling.

"Is this what teammates do? Naruto?"

Naruto grinned against his teammate's neck, raising his blue eyes to meet Sasuke's in the mirror.

"No. We do this, Sasuke." He licked Sasuke's neck in a long suggestive swipe from his shoulder to the base of his ear, and said it again, deeper. "We do this."

Sasuke closed his eyes and swallowed a groan, and Naruto kept licking away the tension, his hands holding his teammate still. He picked a spot and began to suck, letting the ridges of his teeth tease the fragile skin. Sasuke groaned outright, and Naruto gave a shudder of arousal at hearing it, moving closer instinctually. He leaned into Sasuke's back and continued to nibble and suck until Sasuke pulled him around roughly by his elbows to stand in-between him and the marble countertop. Naruto grinned, looking into Sasuke's black eyes as his teammate put his hands back on the counter, arms on either side of him.

"We don't have time for this, Naruto." Sasuke's words didn't match the flush on his skin, and Naruto's belly tightened to have finally made progress in the right direction.

"I have a plan," he countered, returning his mouth to Sasuke's neck and sucking hard. Real hard.

Sasuke moaned and jerked towards him, and Naruto slid his arms around his rival's waist and didn't stop until he was sure he'd made a vivid mark, and then he bit him for good measure. Sasuke shuddered and then tried to move away, and Naruto lifted his lips long enough to see deep maroon just underneath the creamy paleness of his teammate's skin.

Naruto smiled, and moved to the side enough for Sasuke to see it in the mirror at his back, "See?"

Sasuke frowned and touched the spot with cautious fingers, tilting his head to get a better view. Then he glared his question, looking down his nose.

Naruto gave him a playful squeeze, "Now I'll know which Sasuke is the real one!" Sasuke widened his eyes in a moment of disbelief, then turned his gaze back to the mirror, looking at the mark with new consideration.

"Hn," he replied, turning his attention back to Naruto. Naruto went still as those black eyes filled with a predatory gleam, and Sasuke slowly bent towards him. Naruto closed his eyes when Sasuke's lips brushed the edge of his ear, finding it suddenly hard to breathe–but it was his rival's whispered statement that made him tingle from both anticipation, and the urge to slug him.

"I guess you wouldn't remember the code phrase anyhow… Ultimate Moron."

Naruto had just made a fist and then Sasuke bit him back–hard, and without preamble. He gritted his teeth from the sudden pain of it, unclenching his right hand to push against Sasuke's chest.

"Shit, Sasuke," he scowled, getting little response. "Don't just bite me like that…"

He pushed harder against Sasuke's chest, and his rival calmly took hold of his wrist and twisted their hands so that their fingers could interlock. The pressure on his neck eased, and Naruto squeezed his rival's left hand as Sasuke began to nibble and suck on his skin in a much more pleasant way, occasionally moving to tease his earlobe. The pain from the bite ebbed into a satisfying warmth, and Naruto shivered when Sasuke's free hand traced down his spine to the concave dip just above the waistband of his boxers.

He couldn't help it, he moaned and gripped Sasuke's hand harder, pressing their palms together and getting lost in the pleasure of Sasuke's mouth and fingers. Naruto leaned forward, turning his head to return his lips to Sasuke's neck, and reached up into his silky black hair to hold him close. This time Sasuke's fingers were the ones to squeeze in approval, and they both sent moaned vibrations across the other's skin with their mouths.

Naruto teased him with his teeth, nibbling softly and then abruptly sharp, getting Sasuke to grunt noises against his own neck. Naruto chuckled, commenting with his lips brushing over the mark, "You're the one who likes biting, Sasuke." And he proved it again, pressing his teeth into Sasuke's skin and making him twitch.

Sasuke's nails dug into Naruto's lower back from his pleasure, and Naruto sighed into the crook of his rival's shoulder, enjoying the sting now that there was a multitude of pleasure to go with it. They sucked and marked each other's necks until it was nearly too uncomfortable, and Naruto pulled back a bit, eyeing the bruise he'd left on Sasuke with a satisfied thrill.

Naruto looked into Sasuke's black eyes and squeezed their entwined fingers, and his heart surged up into his throat at the wave of longing. In unison they grabbed for each other and merged lips and tongues with the same thoroughness that had decorated their bodies elsewhere, and Naruto could hardly believe the relief it was to be kissing Sasuke again. One day ago he'd been certain this had been lost to them, and the bitter memory made the pressure of their mouths so beautifully, painfully sweet.

Sasuke held him so tight it hurt, but Naruto could hardly care since he finally wasn't being pushed away. He had both his hands twisted in his rival's hair and could feel Sasuke's left hand curling at the base of his neck. Naruto allowed his head to be tilted backward and accepted Sasuke's searching tongue, eagerly sucking it deeper and twining it with his own to make sure he hadn't forgotten what any of it was like.

There was urgency: sensual, passionate, rough. But it wasn't exactly like First Night where their only goal had been to ride their desires as hard and as fast as possible. But this time they shared a mixture of both forgiveness and apology with each kiss–vulnerable questions coupling with needy answers. Lust was still there, Naruto knew, but she was tempered by something that went further, something that reconnected them by every hitched breath and muffled groan, an atonement achieved by the tender ache of skin touching skin.

If First Night was for their bodies, then this was for their souls–though it was still Lust strumming the chords in Naruto's belly that recognized Sasuke as someone more significant than the words "teammate" or "rival" could hope to encompass.

Naruto wasn't getting lost in sensation this time, he was getting lost in Sasuke.

The feel of Sasuke's hand moving along his jaw, his thumb tracing the whiskers on his cheek needed no translation for Naruto to understand. He scraped the tips of his fingers down the sides of Sasuke's neck and across his shoulders to grip his biceps, all of him slick with ointment, and Naruto inhaled the faint aroma of Sandalwood while their kisses became slower and deeper and longer. Mutually possessive.

It was intense. Naruto lost track of where one kiss became another, or whether either of them were even breathing something besides each other as they solidified this other, more fragile aspect of their alliance and somehow counterbalanced the anger and fury of the previous day.

Eventually Naruto slid his hands back up Sasuke's body to push his dark bangs off his face, just wanting to look at him, and Sasuke moved with him to touch their bare foreheads together. Naruto enjoyed the quiet, profound moment, stroking through Sasuke's thick hair. He could feel Sasuke's heart beating against his chest. He wondered if Sasuke could feel his. Somehow it seemed like these moments would be rare, and he didn't want it to end.

It didn't.

Not for a long while.

Sasuke shifted and brushed a tingling kiss across Naruto's ear, bringing him out of his daze and reaching behind him to grasp something from the counter. Naruto felt the cool glass jar press into his lower back and gave a slight reflexive jerk, to which Sasuke merely chuckled and nipped his earlobe.

"Finish putting this stuff on while I go get dressed."

"You mean you're done?" Naruto looked at him, not believing it. "You've got it everywhere?"

"Hn," Sasuke smirked, settling his hands on the counter like he had before, trapping Naruto where he stood. He lowered his voice to a velvety purr and leaned in to let their thighs touch. "You wanna check?"

Naruto smirked back, relieved that Sasuke was somewhat back to his old self. Confident in his appeal. Sure of Naruto's responses. Naruto placed his hands on Sasuke's hips, "I thought we didn't have time for that."

Sasuke kissed him, just enough to tease. "We don't." He turned to go back into his bedroom, but Naruto tightened his grip, and their eyes met.

"But what if I miss a spot?" He pulled Sasuke back over to him, grinning, "You're supposed to guard my back, right?"

Sasuke didn't resist when Naruto lifted his chin and kissed him, holding their bodies close and finishing what Sasuke had started. Sasuke actually leaned into him, making him take a half-step back so that the countertop was against his backside, and Naruto chuckled into the kiss. He nibbled Sasuke's lip, and then yelped when he felt something cold and sticky dribbling down his spine.

Sasuke shushed him with his lips, and Naruto felt his teammate's hands smearing globs of ointment over his skin with steady hands. He shoved his tongue down Sasuke's throat in response, and Sasuke groaned, digging fingernails into the meat beside Naruto's shoulder blades as he continued to smear the ointment. Naruto kissed him breathless and then grinned against his lips, moving to rest his chin on Sasuke's shoulder. He settled his arms loosely around his rival's torso and sighed in bliss while Sasuke's skilled hands warmed and stroked his skin.

"There," Sasuke said, finished. "Happy?"

Naruto kissed Sasuke's neck right on the dark maroon marking. "Yeah," he agreed, turning to the counter and reaching for the jar. His eye fell on Sasuke's shirt lying a bit further down the marble countertop, the metal plate of his hitai-ate casting a reflection of light on the wall. Sasuke was already moving towards the door.

"Wait," Naruto picked up the forehead protector and went over to his teammate.

"You're gonna need this," Naruto held it to his rival's brow, and Sasuke rolled his eyes a little while he settled it in place, though he didn't make any real objections to the gesture. Naruto reached behind his head to tie it, making sure to not catch any dark hairs in the knot. He could feel Sasuke's eyes on him the whole time, and there in the bathroom it was almost more intimate to add this simple item than it would have been to remove all the rest. Naruto met the eyes that had been watching him when he'd finished.

Sasuke didn't respond with words, simply stroked his fingers through the hair at Naruto's temple much like he had before their very first kiss. His mouth curved in a smirk on one side, and then he disappeared through the door. Naruto urged his lungs to breathe as he returned to the counter and the jar of ointment, his heart thumping behind his ribs from the unspoken sentiments. He looked up into the mirror and saw his own reflection for the first time. Naruto blinked.

"There's not much time left, Naruto." Sasuke called the reminder from his bedroom.

Naruto could hear him moving out into the hall and down the steps to the room where all their combat gear was laid out for them. He leaned closer to the mirror and tilted his neck to be sure, and then shook his head. Naruto felt a stirring behind his navel; in that first bite Sasuke had broken his skin, leaving an exact imprint of his teeth to frame the bold splotch of the hickey that had followed. Sasuke had well and truly marked him, and Naruto was surprised how much the sight aroused him.

"You bastard," he chuckled, touching the reddened ridges lightly and wincing.

Sasuke just had to outdo him, didn't he?

Naruto sighed, and spent the next minutes coating the rest of his whole body with the ointment, very sure he didn't miss anything. It only took the thought of one of Shino's bugs burrowing under his clothing to ensure his thoroughness. He wiped some on his face, and for good measure ran his fingers through his blond hair without getting it all sticky. Satisfied, he closed the jar's lid and set it neatly next to the hand soap.

He silently thanked Itachi for leaving them such a gift, and then set off to get ready for the Hunt.

---

--

---

"Wait, Iruka," Kakashi gently moved Iruka's hands and took away the Katana where he'd been trying to fasten it along his spine.

"What are you doing?" Iruka frowned, turning around to see where his lover was going with his sword. He crossed his arms and followed him into the living room. They only had ten minutes until the Hunt began.

He found Kakashi holding something behind his back, and Iruka was glad the mask was still down around his lover's throat so that he could see the affection behind the teasing smile. The ANBU gear he'd decided to wear in the competition made him look so cold. Remote. But the smile wasn't cold at all.

"Here," Kakashi came towards him, still keeping something hidden behind his body. Iruka stayed where he was, but did move his arms so that Kakashi could come close enough to kiss his mouth.

"I told you I'd bring you a present, didn't I?" Kakashi rubbed their noses together, and Iruka grinned, tilting his head and kissing him back.

"You did, but I'd forgotten," he admitted, smiling at his lover's feigned shock. Kakashi straightened up, but Iruka knew he wasn't offended. They knew each other better than that.

"So here it is," the Jounin said, holding out a completely different Katana. "Try it."

Iruka took the Katana in his hands, eyes flicking down the silvery sheath to the wrapped hilt. It was finely crafted, and the weight was balanced exactly right. Iruka tugged the blade free, and marveled at its honed edge, rotating his wrist to test it without endangering either of them. He knew immediately this was the sword that Kakashi had worn with the same ANBU gear he was wearing now.

"Kakashi!" Iruka was at a loss for words.

Kakashi was amused, "It's fine, use it. I don't really fight with Katana anymore."

"But," Iruka met his eye, then slipped the Katana back into the sheath, gripping it tightly. "But…!"

"It's a good sword, and you're an excellent swordsman. So I want you to have it," Kakashi reached out and tucked a stray piece of hair back into place. "I'd be happy for you to fight with my sword, Iruka."

Iruka hugged him close, even with the strangeness of the ANBU gear. This was Kakashi, his Kakashi, no matter how much of a killer he happened to look at the moment. The sword might have been tainted, once, but Iruka thought this could be Kakashi's way of purifying it–there's no way Iruka would ever use it to take a life, especially not in something like the Hunt.

"I'd be honored," he said, turning his face into Kakashi's neck and smelling his own soap mixed in with the Jounin's skin.

Kakashi helped adjust the back sheath to hold the new sword, and Iruka felt overwhelmed with the gesture. Kakashi was always saying things should stay in the past, but he'd resurrected this heirloom, and Iruka was smart enough to read between the lines. He turned around once it was in place.

"Kakashi, I want you to keep my other sword then," he said.

Kakashi's mouth curled in amusement, "If you like."

"Because when this is over, I want to spar with you sometimes," Iruka smiled, though he felt nervous at the suggestion. He ran a hand over his ponytail.

Kakashi watched him for a minute, and then laughed, "Okay, Iruka, I think we can do that." Iruka sighed in relief, and went the small step that closed the distance between them.

"You should already know," Kakashi murmured after a while, "How much I enjoy crossing swords with you."

Iruka gaped against his neck, but had to laugh at the awful pun. "Pervert," he chastised, relishing in the moment before they would part ways and compete over the Hokage's spheres.

"Of course," Kakashi agreed, kissing him with a wet smack and then adjusting his mask into place. He rubbed a gloved hand along Iruka's cheek.

"Be careful out there," Kakashi said, and Iruka nodded, touching the hand at his jaw in one last moment of contact.

With that the Jounin disappeared in his famous invisible speed, leaving Iruka alone in his apartment to think about Ibiki, and where to try and find him first.

---

--

---

At the front door, Sasuke paused with his hand on the doorknob and looked directly into Naruto's face. Naruto wasn't sure exactly what he was looking for, but he knew they both were tense with anticipation of the next few hours and everything that rode on them–once they went through that door, the Hunt was on.

Naruto felt confident underneath the excitement, armed with everything he needed and his flak jacket zipped snug against his ribs. Sasuke had tied the blue hitai-ate for him once Naruto had dressed; it was comfortable on his forehead, the knot fixed with care, their new ritual complete. All was in place, and as he looked back into Sasuke's black eyes, he saw a similar confidence and excitement.

"Are you ready?" Sasuke asked, his voice that baritone timbre that meant he was vibrating with the desire for combat.

Naruto made a fist in the front of Sasuke's clothing and pulled him forward, kissing him with a possessive ferocity. He gripped the dark locks at the back of his rival's neck with his other hand, just as Sasuke tipped his head backward from the force of his desire. For several minutes they became only the slick wetness of their kisses, Sasuke's strong arm gripping Naruto's body hard against him.

It wasn't tender, it wasn't pretty, but it reinforced what they had agreed to do that night, affirming their commitment to work together towards a common goal.

Naruto looked up into Sasuke's eyes for a short moment before wrenching the collar of his teammate's vest down far enough to add some bites to the spot he'd marked earlier that evening. Sasuke hissed, moving his hand down to grip Naruto's ass, and Naruto grinned against the skin he was nibbling. Sasuke soon clawed at Naruto's collar and mirrored his actions, biting and teasing the tender skin on his neck to ensure his attentions would be visible when they might need to prove who and what they were.

When it was clear they'd marked each other much more thoroughly than was really necessary, Naruto licked his way back over to Sasuke's lips and kissed him one more time, hard and sensual and with everything he felt for his rival compressed into it.

Breathless, and trembling a bit against him, Sasuke met Naruto's eyes, and they had a moment of perfect understanding in the dark entryway of the house, the moonlit night waiting for them outside.

"Now I'm ready," Naruto answered, releasing his grip on Sasuke's clothing and hair.

'Before and after missions,' he repeated in his head, remembering.

Sasuke smirked, smoothing his hands through his hair and zipping his vest back up to his throat, making everything perfect once more. He turned the doorknob and opened the door, pausing briefly to look over his shoulder and cock his head, taunting him they way they always started everything.

"Ultimate Moron."

And then they both vanished into the darkness.

---

[to be continued...]