Part II


"You are a fucking idiot."

"Shut up."

Genma laughed at that. "Stop pouting, a man your age has no right to pout."

"I'm not pouting."

He stole a glance towards his long time friend and noted with unveiled amusement the small frown his normally blank face was sporting right now. Genma chuckled and pulled out a packet of smoke from his back pocket with a teasing smirk. "Of course you aren't."

"You know you aren't allowed to smoke on school grounds."

Genma frowned. "Fuck. What are you my mother?"

Iruka laughed and snatched the packet away from him. "Confiscated. Taisen-sensei, you know the rules."

"I can smoke when I want to, Umino-sensei." Genma made a move to retrieve his daily dose of vice but failed miserably when the shorter male crushed the packet in his hands with the smile that made all their students love him as the warm-hearted kind teacher that he was.

"…You better buy me a new pack later."

Iruka laughed and deposited the now ruined packet into the garbage shoot. "Will do, but please remember that smoking is strictly prohibited on school grounds."

Genma sighed. "Yeah, yeah… if only you could convince Asuma to do the same."

"Convince me what?"

Kakashi glanced at the new arrival and laughed when he saw the unlit cigar dangling between his lips. "That smoking is strictly prohibited on school grounds."

Asuma laughed. "Have you ever seen my old man without his pipe?" He pulled out a lighter and took a long drag with a satisfied grin. "How can you even take that rule seriously with the principal smoking like there's no tomorrow?"

Iruka chuckled. "Rules are rules though,"

"Hai, Hai." Genma shrugged with a shake of his head. "As always Umino-sensei's a stickler to the rules."

Kakashi grinned. "Remember the time he got caught when we went to the pool?"

Iruka glared. "Correction: You guys left me to take the blame when you tried to sneak in the pool."

Asuma chuckled at the memory. "Oh man! You looked like you were about to piss yourself when the security guard asked your name!"

"God! Did you remember how he started crying when they took him in the station?" Genma laughed harder.

Iruka sighed and collapsed on the roof railing. "Please don't remind me… My mother laughed all the way home."

All four of them burst out in laughter remembering the hilarious antics of Mrs. Umino. Iruka's mother was always the coolest one of their parents.

"So," Asuma pulled out a lighter and glanced at Genma. "What were you and Hatake talking about?"

Genma grinned. "How much of a fucking idiot he is."

"Nothing new there,"

Kakashi sighed and stared out to the field where the track club was doing laps. "Sakura hates me."

"Again," Asuma took a long drag of smoke. "Nothing new there."

Iruka spared him a comforting smile. "I'm sure she doesn't hate—"

"She had to do the victimized housewife skit again…"

Genma stared at him. "Well shit… That's the what?" He spared the other two a glance. "Third?"

"Fourth."

"—fourth time this past two months?" He smirked. "You know you really should get that spare key from her."

Kakashi frowned. "I can't do that, Sakura's family and…"

"We all know how close you and pinky are," Asuma sighed. "Half our high school afternoons were spent playing princess and parties."

Genma frowned. "I still don't remember how we got stuck babysitting her most of the times."

"You had a crush on Haruno-san remember?"

"…Oh yeah," Genma grinned as he remembered the red-haired woman who welcomed them to her home for afternoon tea and snacks.

"I don't blame you though," Asuma smirked, "Even now Hana-san can still turn some heads."

"Yeah… Hey did you see her at the PTA meeting last week?"

Iruka shook his head in exasperation and turned to Kakashi who stopped his moping to stare at the other two with unveiled disgust.

"You did apologize right?"

"Huh?"

Iruka glared. "You apologized to Sakura-chan right?"

Kakashi looked at him, confusion and anger flashing through his face. "Of course I did! What kind of heartless bastard do you think I am!?"

Genma flicked him on the side of his head. "Doesn't matter if you apologize to her, and judging you, your version of apologizing is just too…"

"Stupid to accept?" Asuma supplied.

"Not the phrase I would use but yeah," Genma laughed. "People usually get punched by half-assed apologies, especially the ones coming from you."

Kakashi glared.

A moment of silence passed before Iruka sighed and sent the silver haired male a long hard stare. "How did it happen?"

Kakashi looked confused, "It was a one-night stand," He explained. "Sakura was—"

"Not that," Iruka thumped him at the back of the head. "How did Sakura-chan start to hate you?"

"Yeah," Genma had a cigarette hanging between his lips. "We weren't close as her as you were but she liked us enough," He remembered in their younger days, Sakura was always with them and would fondly address them as her older brothers as she did with Kakashi. "All of a sudden she barely glances our way and turns into a whole different person," He sighed. "Pinky used to be so sweet and fluffy,"

"I…" Kakashi sighed. "I don't know…"

"There has to be a reason," Iruka frowned. "Sakura-chan was, still is a sweet kid. No one changes over night."

Genma chuckled. "Maybe she finally realized how weird Kakashi was for spending time with a girl almost twice her age."

Said man punched him in the arm.

"Fucking hell man!" Genma growled. "And you wonder why pinky hates you!"

"Speaking of Pinky," Asuma cocked his side towards the direction of the field with a smirk.

Sakura was walking in front of her convoy of student officers with a frown marring her pretty features. Her long hair was tied up into a high pony tail and her uniform, as always, impeccably perfect. The Hyuuga boy was flanking her right side, the perfect picture of stern while Uchiha Sasuke stood at her left; looking annoyed and bored by the whole scenario.

The four educators leaned on the railings of the roof top trying to get a better look at the scenario.

"Looks like it's time for the afternoon scolding courtesy of Konoha's own Student council president!" Genma did his best interpretation of a game show host and laughed when they clapped in good humor.

Asuma grinned and cleared his throat, "On today's episode, Konoha Academy's very own Track team!"

Iruka shook his head, but the smile on his face remained. "So, what's the issue this time?"

"Students were complaining about trash being left on the field after their morning practices," Kakashi explained. "Sakura came by the office awhile ago asking Tsunade permission to address the issue how she deemed fit,"

"Meaning public humiliation?"

Kakashi smirked. "Could be,"

Genma grinned. "Show's starting!"

They watched as a tall male approached Sakura with a glare. Sakura stood her ground with her arms crossed over her chest. Iruka recognize the taller male as the captain of the Track club, Hidenori Aki-kun. Hidenori started talking down at the pink haired girl with a glare on his face, probably pissed about practice being interrupted especially now that they are nearing the regional tournament. Sakura stared at him hard as he continued to rant, her face giving off nothing to show what she was really feeling, though her companions weren't too okay with the upperclassman spitting into the face of a colleague they respected. Uchiha was glaring at the guy, willing for the idiot to suddenly combust into flames and Hyuuga shifted his stance, looking ready to pounce at any given moment.

"Oho… Look Pinky's angry," Genma smirked.

"How can you tell?"

Kakashi chuckled and rested his cheek over his fist. "She's smiling."

Sakura smiled at the taller male and gestured behind towards the track and field members who were sprawled around the area sweating and panting. She said something, probably addressing the problem at once; Sakura wasn't one to beat around the bush. The senior seemed to take offense to whatever she had said and started screaming, students on their way home were starting to gather near the sidelines. Sakura stared at him, waiting for him to finish. Hidenori began to walk away but Sakura said something that made him stop. Before any of them could blink, some of the younger track members where holding onto their furious captain who was thrashing, trying to get to the pink haired president.

"She really turned into a stone cold bitch."

Iruka frowned and slapped him on the back of his head. "Don't call her that,"

"Ow!" He whined. "What? I don't mean anything bad by it!" Asuma chuckled. "If anything, it's a compliment. She's totally bad-ass."

"Shit, He broke free."

For a moment time seemed to stop for Kakashi when he watched as the much taller male ran towards Sakura. He heard Iruka exclaim something in shock and he was about to run down there but Genma's laughter stopped him from doing anything drastic. Turning his attention back towards the scene below them, a laugh escaped his lips before he could do anything else.

Sakura had the senior pinned to the ground, his face full of dirt and the much smaller girl, kneeling beside his prone form. Her hands had his wrist subdued and a glare was directed to him. Sakura was speaking again and the boy below her struggled to break free, but no luck on his side today.

Asuma chuckled. "And thus concludes another episode of public scolding," He dropped his finished cigarette and crushed it under his shoes. "I'm heading home."

"Me too," Genma sighed and made a move to follow him to the door. "Papers to grade, parents to call…"

Kakashi, however, stayed on the spot. "See you tomorrow."

Asuma and Genma headed towards the door while Iruka spared him a smile.

"…What?"

"Just…" Iruka sighed. "Just talk to her okay? Sakura-chan is a good kid, I know that—"

Hey! Is this thing on!? Sakura-chan! I finished the thing you wanted me to do! Let's go home already!

The two educators shared a look before simultaneously dropping their head in exasperation.

"That idiot…"

Iruka groaned. "Naruto… Sakura really has her hands full with council duties; I see the lights on in her office even when I pull overtime." He elbowed Kakashi in the gut. "Take care of her better."

"Ow," He rubbed the sore spot. "I can't even come within 20 feet of her during school hours."

Iruka glanced at his watch. "Well according to my watch… School ended an hour ago."

"Go home." Kakashi shooed him off. "But before that make sure Sakura didn't kill Naruto."

Iruka laughed. "See you tomorrow, Hatake-sensei."


Heyy thurr!