During Kakashi's absence Iruka's life went back to normal. He hated it. Everyday was so exruciatingly normal, it drained him. There was no perverted jounin to come and annoy him while he was trying to teach. No barely legible mission reports to sort through. In fact, every time a nice neat mission report was handed in, he would sigh. Eventually someone asked him why. Iruka gave him an honest answer: "Because I wish a friend of mine was here to take an orange crayon, and screw all of these up, so I would have an excuse to chase after him for it!" Needless to say, no one asked after that.

The teacher was usually pretty good at hiding things from his students, however even they were starting to notice that something was wrong.

"Umm, Iruka-sensei?"

"Yes?" He was writing on the board.

"We went over that on Monday."

Iruka stopped writing and examined the board. The student was right. He dismissed them for an early lunch so he could get his act together. /Why the lesson plans from Monday?/ He sat down and thought for a few minutes. The answer came to him. Kakashi left Monday; that was five days ago. His mind seemed to be stuck on the day of when he left. The chunnin checked his lesson plans twice. Iruka was sure that he had it right this time.

He sighed again. There was this half-hope lurking in his mind that the copy-nin will show up in his class again and cause trouble. Actually that Kakashi would come back and do /anything/! In the few days where Iruka and Kakashi had actually spoken on a regular basis, the chunnin had really come to depend on the brief company. He could get through a day just fine before Kakashi decided to mess with his life, he wasn't even lonely! But now... A day was hard to get through.

/There is no way I got that attached to someone in just a few days!/ Iruka kept telling himself that over and over again. Very recently, every time he told himself that he would also wonder: /Did Kakashi get this attached to me?/ A part of him hoped so. Then another part sincerely hoped not because it /hurt/. A lot.

His class came back and he touched the arm where Kakashi had written 'MINE' on it. This was a fairly recent habit, whenever he really started to miss the Icha-reading pervert, he would trace the letters on his arm. He couldn't even fully appreiciate that his class' training was coming alone really well. They had a sudden interest in trying to help eachother out. Especially when in weapons training. Everyone was more than willing to help a weaker member deflect attacks, and help them with various jutsu.

Iruka sighed again when he saw his class coming up the hall back from lunch. He stood up and opened the door for them. Before everyone sat down, a girl asked him: "Do you miss Kakashi-sensei?"

At the name 'Kakashi-sensei' the class perked up and went very quiet waiting for Iruka's answer.

"As I said, Kakashi is my friend and ally. Of course I miss him."

The girl looked up at him with big eyes. He tried to smile, he really did, but the girl seemed to catch on to something in his eyes. She looked up at him for another moment before she patted his arm.

"I'm sure he misses you too, Iruka-sensei."

Then she scurried back to her seat. The whole class was still watching him, waiting for his next move. But he simply picked up on his lesson plans where they had /actually/ left off.

Friday passed into Saturday and Iruka almost went to class instead of the mission desk. His thoughts always seemed to be centered around Kakashi. Any other shinobi would say he was on auto-pilot, and they wouldn't be wrong. Before now, the silver-haired pervert drove him crazy; now the chunnin was driving himself crazy.

A couple hours in, a thought struck him.

What if Kakashi had hurt himself?

Iruka was holding a pen at the time and in a failed attempt to stop his hand from shaking, he accidentally broke said pen. The ink splattered all over him and the paper he was writing on. Iruka sighed again, but this time it was in irritation. A shinobi that he couldn't put a name to but recognized from somewhere walked up to him.

"I think that you could use a break. Go home and rest, I'll cover your shift."

Iruka tried to decline the generous offer when several other people started agreeing with the first shinobi.

"Isn't this what you've been teaching our kids after all?" One said.

"Yeah my kid came home sometime last week, I think it was, and started talking about how we're all shinobi and comrades and co-workers so we all need to help eachother out." Piped another.

Iruka ran his fingers through his ponytail. He didn't remember ever succeeding in teaching them any teamwork lesson. It always seemed to go in one ear and out the other. At least he could name some of the shinobi now. They were the parents of his students.

"My son said that he needed to appreiciate you more. Then he said the same to me! So I guess we'll all cover your shift." The man and the three others started to laugh.

Part of him wanted to stay here and try to keep his mind off Kakashi, but another part (probably the logical part) said that he needed to go home and get some sleep. Not that Iruka would admit it, but he had recently taken up sleeping on the couch. The first time that the jounin ever showed up was at the window in his living room. It wasn't like Iruka was specifically waiting for Kakashi, every sound from the living room in the night made him hopeful. So after a couple nights of getting out of bed every time there was a particularly loud noise coming from his living room or a window, he just slept on the couch. And still didn't sleep well. Not that he would even expect Kakashi to come to him first.

So in the end, he agreed to go home. His three kind co-workers gently slapped his back and shook his hands when he stood up. He thanked them all repeatedly before trying to get the stain out of his uniform in the employee bathroom. He didn't want people to stare as he was making his way home. But the walk home seemed to allow his mind to wander more than anything. Even though the concept of Kakashi getting seriously injured seemed remote, it was still possible. Sometimes no amount of skill can overcome numbers.

/I shouldn't be so worried, I don't even know if what he's doing is dangerous./

It only occurred to him sometime later that that could possibly be why he was so worried.

The walk did little to help the state of his mind. Maybe he would run into Naruto, that would keep the chunnin's mind off of Kakashi. Iruka sighed again and went back to tracing the letters on his arm. No one that he passed on his way was really noticed, however, if he had been paying attention, he would see that everyone seemed to notice him.

He wasn't completely oblivious though.

/It would be much easier to get on with my day if everyone would stop reminding me why I'm sad!/

Just when Iruka thought all the stares would make him lose it, Pakkun ran up to him.

"Pakkun?" The chunnin was shocked to one of Kakashi's small nin-dogs.

"Yup. Kakashi wanted me to tell you that he should be back around Monday afternoon."

Iruka silently thanked the gods that may be. This time when he sighed it was a sigh of relief. /Kakashi is alive!/

"Thank you so much Pakkun!"

"Eh, no problem." The nin-dog shrugged the best he could.

Before Iruka could ask if Kakashi was in one piece, Pakkun scampered off again.

But the chunnin set off at a new pace. Kakashi was coming back.

...oOo...oOo...oOo...oOo...oOo...oOo...oOo...oOo...oOo...oOo...oOo...oOo...oOo...oOo...oOo...

The following two days were only slightly less agonizing for the chunnin who was practically holding his breath in anticipation of the jounin's return.

There was no way he could concentrate on Monday and he knew it. So he scheduled a game day outside for his class. Upon being asked why, he said it was for their sudden improvement in teamwork.

The plan didn't quite work out; around 10 in the morning it began to rain. That is an understatment, it was /pouring/. Not a soul was to be seen out on the streets, and the rain pounded so hard against the windows, there was fear that the glass would shatter. So needless to say there was no outside game day.

But Iruka allowed the students to have their game day indoors. Three hours passed without incident, beyond a couple bloody noses. And the teacher was really enjoying his students have fun. Some were playing board or card games and others were practicing their jutsu.

Around 1 in the afternoon things perked up. The chunnin looked up from healing a student due to a minor papercut, to see a certain silver-haired jounin tapping on a window. Everyone's attention was drawn to the scene with exclamations of: "Look! He came to see Iruka-sensei!"

Iruka barely held in his relief, and joy. He signaled for the copy-nin to come in, but the jounin seemed bent on making Iruka come outside.

He pulled a folded piece of paper out of his pocket. He made a show of slowly unfolding it, then pressing the side with writing on it to the window so Iruka could see it. It unmistakably a blank mission report. Then he flipped it over, still pressed against the window, so the side with the writing was facing him. A crayon was pulled out of a pocket next. The bright orange wax stood out clearly against the dark background.

Kakashi made a scene of slowly putting the tip of the crayon to the blank mission report. Iruka lightly smacked his forehead, probably out of exasperation. He smiled though. /Same old Kakashi./ Then he held up his index finger to the jounin, in the classic 'one moment' gesture.

"I'll only be a moment." Iruka told his class, as he headed out the door. He managed to walk out of the classroom calmly enough, but once out of sight of his students, he fled down the hall. It was thanks to his training that he could run silently, until he ran headlong into a soaked silver-haired jounin.

"You know," Kakashi began "If you wanted a hug, you could've asked."

But Iruka didn't even have to ask. Even though the copy-nin was hit at a dead run, he remained unmoved and simply embraced the surprised chunnin. After a moment Iruka hugged him back. They stood there for a moment before the teacher pulled away to look Kakashi up and down.

"Well you appear to be alive and well."

"Not quite... Are you any good at healing?"

"What are you thinking! If you want a healer to the hospital!"

"If I had wanted to go to the hospital, then I would already be there."

"What do you expect me to do?"

Kakashi thought for a moment. "Not take me to the hospital."

"That doesn't help at all."

Just then Pakkun walked past the two shinobi from the direction that the jounin had come in from. The small nin-dog kept walking over to Iruka's classroom, and in through the slightly open door. Iruka glanced at Kakashi before going after him.

"I am one of Kakashi's nin-dogs, my name is Pakkun. Your sensei has urgent business to attend to elsewhere, so I'll be watching you." He announced from the desk.

A student raised his hand. "Pakkun-san, Iruka-sensei isn't ours. Kakashi said that he belongs to him."

"That is beside the point. I'm reporting to both of them after though."

Kakashi had come up behind Iruka and Pakkun gestured for both of them to get going. The teacher was not at all happy to leave his class like that, but there was only an hour left of school and the class suddenly seemed subdued when they heard that Pakkun would be reporting to Kakashi. Besides now he had a different kind of immature mentality to deal with.

"Can you walk to my apartment?" Iruka asked the injured ninja.

"I don't think so, but I have a better idea." Kakashi wrapped his wet arms around Iruka again, and the chunnin got his first experience with a teleportation jutsu.

They ended up in Iruka's living room. The chunnin was slightly light-headed but he shook it off quickly. He caught Kakashi just in time before he hit the floor.

"God damnit!"

He was fine a minute ago so the only thing that was wrong with him was chakra depletion. And whatever injury he aquired on the mission. But the chakra depletion meant instant rest and no time for a hot shower, so he'd have to fight hypothermia the old-fashioned way.

He shut the shades on all his windows.

He took Kakashi's shoes off, then had to take a deep breath and remind himself that this was for his own good before he took the rest of Kakashi's clothes off. He left him with briefs and his mask. But Iruka decided that the mask could restrict the jounin's breathing, so he slid that off too. He still didn't look at the jounin's face, he didn't have to look very hard to find the injuries.

Three long, ragged gashes were branded across Kakashi's chest. They were just barely scabbing over, and oozing pus slightly. Iruka deposited the jounin in his bed, then ran to the bathroom to get a wet washcloth. On his way back, he turned the thermostat up to 90F.

He gently cleaned the gashes with the soft cloth. That would help fight infection. Then he carefully placed his hands on the gashes. He was no medical ninja, but working in a class of 10 year olds tends to teach you the basic medical procedures. When Iruka was satisfied that the jounin was healed as much as he was going to be, there were only three ragged, definitely irritated, stripes of skin. A couple layers of skin were replenished over them at least.

Iruka wrapped Kakashi up in a bunch of blankets. Then Iruka changed into some thin clothes. He would have to keep Kakashi warm, and he didn't think the jounin would appreiciate waking up in the teacher's bed with both of them half naked. So Iruka settled for the thin clothes.

Before settling into the blankets, the chunnin noted that the gashes would make it painful for Kakashi to breathe if he was on his side. The jounin wasn't awake to hear Iruka's line of thought though. He probably wouldn't have listened even if he was awake. About a half an hour after the chunnin had first crawled under the covers, the sleeping pervert decided to spoon himself against his helpless bedmate.

/This would probably be more enjoyable if I wasn't afraid he'd die in his sleep./

However, the chunnin still manged to fall asleep. Upon doing so, he relaxed into Kakashi's arms...

...oOo...oOo...oOo...oOo...oOo...oOo...oOo...oOo...oOo...oOo...oOo...oOo...oOo...oOo...oOo...

Kakashi was the first to wake up. The last thing he remembered was collapsing in Iruka's living room, and the first thing he realized was that he was waking up in Iruka's bed. With Iruka securely in his arms. He pulled away slightly to look at his chest. The gashes were only halfway healed, but they looked clean. And he certainly wasn't cold anymore. Maybe he wasn't cold because he was wrapped up in blankets, wearing only his boxers, and probably snuggled with Iruka half the night. The thought made him grin.

Then he realized he wasn't wearing his mask. He shrugged it off; Iruka was bound to see him without it anyway. As if the chunnin knew that the copy-nin was thinking about him, Iruka snuggled closer then let out a contented sigh.

Kakashi smiled to himself. /So Iruka did miss me./

Then Kakashi thought it was slightly unfair that Iruka was still fully clothed while he was almost completely naked. But he realized that this wasn't the time.

Iruka stirred. "Hey glad you're still alive." He said groggily. Similar to Kakashi, he realized that they had basically been glued together. He sat up hurriedly, a blush already vivid on his cheeks.

"So am I. Thank you, Iruka." He said seriously.

"It's fine." Iruka muttered as he detangled himself from the many blankets. When he finally got free, he walked stiffly to a bureau on the other side of the room and pulled out a long pair of jeans from one drawer and a plain black T-shirt from another drawer. Then he tossed them to Kakashi.

"Here. They're probably all I have that will fit you, sorry."

Kakashi just stood up and slipped the impromtu outfit on. Iruka turned his back on the jounin while he got dressed, even though he was the one to undress him the previous night. He didn't hear the copy-nin approach, but a pair of arms wrapped around his waist and a chin rested on his shoulder.

"You know that it's fine to look at me without my mask right?"

Iruka didn't reply, he just turned to look at the face that was using his shoulder as a headrest. There was a scar running down his left eye, the eye with the sharingan, but other than that it was a handsome face.

"Wasn't so difficult was it?" Kakashi asked while he snuggled the side of Iruka's neck. The chunnin found himself relaxing into the silver-haired man's arms once again. "I still owe you dinner."

Iruka looked at the clock on his bedroom wall. 11:30. Sunlight was peeping through the slits of the shades, brightening the room considerably. It promised to be a nice day. "How about you just buy me lunch somewhere near here. Because you are not going to teleport anywhere for a few days without passing out."

"Hmmm fair enough." Kakashi released the chunnin. "I'll let you get dressed in peace." Then he walked out of the room.

Iruka chose a dark red shirt and another pair of jeans. /I wonder if Kakashi and I are officially more than friends./ Iruka examined himself in the mirror above his bureau. He'd look presentable if he fixed his ponytail. After he tamed his hair, he grabbed Kakashi's mask for him, and went to meet him in the kitchen.

"Hey Kakashi, you forgot this."

"Kakashi... That is a very intimate thing to call me, Iruka." He teased.

"You're the one who called me Iruka."

Kakashi walked closer to the teacher. This time, Iruka didn't move. The jounin looked at the shorter man for a moment before pulling him flush against him with one arm; the other hand was tracing the line of Iruka's jaw.

"You don't seem to mind."

"No, not really. And if you're going to kiss me, then please do it already."

Kakashi happily obliged. It was very soft at first, after a few seconds, Kakashi felt Iruka smile and took that as an invitation to let the kiss go deeper. He pulled away for just a moment to get a better angle, and Iruka thought that Kakashi had finished so he opened his mouth to protest. Kakashi had to smile at that, he was no where near done. His tongue traced the bottom lip of the open mouth. No time was allowed for the chunnin to protest, as the tongue was now slowly sliding into the mouth. Iruka wouldn't have protested anyway, his own tongue was now rubbing Kakashi's vigorously. At some point Iruka's tongue slipped past Kakashi's to invade his mouth.

The jounin was irritated at losing his first battle for dominance, not that he was inexperienced, he pushed Iruka up against a wall and pinned his hands down as his tongue attempted to work it's way down the shorter man's throat. Iruka's hands were pinned above his head, and remained that way even after both of them stopped for breath. However Kakashi still appeared to not be finished. He tried to slip a knee between Iruka's legs...

"Hey I wanna eat first!" Iruka protested.

"You won't stop me? I can wait, believe it or not" Kakashi sounded surprised as he removed his knee.

"You just have to wait until I'm done eating." Iruka freed his hands and kissed Kakashi gently.

"You'll be stuck with me forever, after." The jounin warned.

Now Iruka grinned. "I believe that you have already claimed me as yours." He tapped his arm where the letters MINE were still written in neon orange.