So... I'm sort of late uh? I've been horribly sick! and in bed for the last week, oh well it was just a flu really haha I'm a bit spoiled I guess. Anyway, I'm sorry for the late deliver and all, oh, also for the crapy chapter, I can't quite point what it is that I don't like, but it's there, I'm sure you'll find it.

Oh, also sorry for the spelling and grammar. do not speako inglés haha, yeah... anyway, if anyone out there is as kind as to help me with that, it would make me the happiest girl alive XD on with the chapter then

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Chapter II:

"Iruka's ordinary day"

He didn't like surprises… he didn't like surprises at all.

The sense of security that his little routines offered him was everything to him.

Every morning he would wake up; he would go through an elaborated cleaning ritual, he knew his uniform would be waiting for him, he knew that cereals and a toast would be the only things keeping his stomach company till the recess at noon; he knew which streets would be necessary to go through to get to his destination, not a block more than the needed, he didn't dedicate so much of his time in maps research for nothing.

So he also knew with whom he would cross the usual salutes, 'good morning' at the bread store 'the toast was especially good today, any change on the recipe?' or the ever present 'Sensei! If only you could wait for a bit, Aoba will be ready soon, perhaps you could go with him, you know, talk a little before classes' while going out of the urban zone; or the always concerned but suspiciously interested voice of the old lady at the grocery store 'Oh dear, that milk you bought expires today, don't forget to come back later and grab a new one'

Yep, he was a lucky man… there were no surprises in store for him… no surprises at all.

Then it would be the academy, oh blessed moments of calm! First he would go through his things, he had all of his right material of course, he was a very organized man after all. He would change pleasantries with his co-workers in that cheerful tone he was now known for. They would talk about little nothings for a few minutes while they all waited for the children's arrival and then, just a minute before the ring he would go to the classroom, another day of work. No surprises.

He worked with children, true. He had Konohamaru assigned on his class, also true. But the thing is… he wasn't the first and surely would not be the last prankster he would teach (fate has a horrid sense of humour), so it was more of a routine really, to be the target (be it directly or not) of the adorable future ninjas imagination. God bless them, it wasn't a problem.

At noon he would have his recess, he would stay in the classroom eating patiently today's fruit (he did have a balanced regime). He would give the kids a sense of freedom while playing on the outside, the sense of freedom one can only have when we think no one's watching us, when we don't know we're being observed. Isn't ignorance bliss?

Of course this wasn't true! He would stay everyday, faithfully attached to the classroom window; before anything he was a teacher, and a damn good one if he had to say so himself.

You don't just give weapons to kids and let them run around wildly. It is only logical to watch over infants determined to show how strong they are to their fellow ninja wannabes.

Then the afternoons would come, and that could only meant one thing, extra work at the assignment room! He did after all belong to a ninja village. He had an obligation to the Hokage, and he would drop dead before he would refuse that so many times disdained and sadly underestimated office job.

But there were also test days, the only variation on his day. Of course that only meant staying a few more hours at the academy, delay work in the assignment room, sleeping a little later, a little less.

His day wasn't over without a visit to Ichiraku's ramen store. Everyday on his walk back to home, between block four and five of the urban district he would be "surprisingly" attacked for that orange whirlwind known simply as Naruto. There would be a quick exchange of screams, five pleas, a promise and two groaning stomachs that would end the discussion, all this during an everlasting hug.

Finally he would go home, taking the usual path; he would buy some milk, give his goodnights toAoba and his mother and would take toasts for breakfast in the morning, he would get home and prepare classes for tomorrow and then eventually fall sleep, no dreams coming to disturb him.

He hated surprises.

Fear to the unknown is the most fundamental instinct.

Walking without knowing the path made him feel terror beyond anything he could ever explain. Sadly, no one can really control the things that happen around them, so obviously, he did what he thought would be the next best thing.

Every little change on his routine would be carefully examined and eventually accepted as part of it.

We humans lie to ourselves so well when we find it convenient.

Every change responded surely to a reprised desire or some other lame psychology excuse, or fate if you wish. Yes, it was always easier to blame fate.

The trick was simply to adapt.

He wasn't new to change, he wasn't as naïve as to think that his perfect little routine would stay like that forever; the important thing at the end of the day was that he knew without a doubt that he was capable of overcoming those annoying surprises.

It is a known fact, that the sooner we get use to something, the sooner that something will change.

So it was no surprise when his beloved routines started crashing down.

He didn't know what had changed or when did it happened; he didn't even know if he had any responsibility on the matter. This of course bothered him the most.

There was this quote that had been carved in his very soul as a child 'Love the world and the world will love you back'. And until then he thought he had been following it very faithfully, as much as he could of course (he was a ninja, lets not forget). So to say he was surprised when he stood at the receiving end of an infuriated Jounin's wrath, was an understatement. It was true, at some moment a long time ago, he had have a disagreement with say Jounin, a little altercate, nothing out of the ordinary and surely nothing that would justify his behaviour. Throwing a mission report to the face of a (to say the least) shocked Chuunin in a room full of co workers, definitely qualified on his list as 'bad attitude'. It definitely didn't do anything for the relationship with the Jounin. Not that they had one to begin with.

Obviously, this wasn't entirely true either. He knew the professor, how could he not? After all, he did teach his beloved Naruto, and if he thought about it, they did share a lot of dinners together… how such a thing pass without him noticing? But then, he did what he did best, he justified his actions.

Of course he didn't notice the others presence! It was all really Kakashi's fault; at the beginning (being the considerate person that he was) he did tried to include him on the conversation, but after a few 'gone wrong' attempts and lack of cooperation (yes, he thought the other one didn't care) he just stopped trying. And then… the figure next to them started fading on the backgrounds, like he wasn't there to begin with; the outing was really with Naruto after all…

The incident with the Jounin did change something. He became paranoid, even more than what is healthy considering his career. Did he really do anything against the Jounin? At what point did he become someone others would like to humiliate that way? Was it only Kakashi? Did he do something against him or perhaps someone important to him? And then the other Jounins began to act weirdly too… of course Gai was never considered entirely normal, but what about Asuma? Those shared looks and sudden glances did nothing for his mental health. It was only a matter of time before Kurenai join them, her and her giggles and whispering were annoying in a whole new sense, but this he could handle… girls do have a history in weird behaviour.

As paranoid as he was admittedly being, he discovered that there were in deed some changes on his surroundings; he felt observed everyday, every hour… just observed. When did it start? Would it ever end? Who could be playing with his mind like this!

He wouldn't say anything of course; he could not share his worries. Whatever it was, the Jounins were involved, that much he knew… damn Jounins and their freakish mind games. He could not talk about it, he was afraid they would consider him 'unstable', and that is the last thing you want to be label of when your salary depends on the trust the parents deposit in you.

Then came the day when someone dared to take away his precious time of tranquillity at school, they started to throw little stones at his window, which he thought at first was nice, maybe someone was trying to call his attention; but when this didn't stop, he begun to worry. Was this an outsider? Or perhaps the children… he thought that maybe he wasn't at all the favourite teacher he thought he was, maybe kids didn't like him either. Then again, kids weren't all that bad once in the classroom, could they hide it so well? Maybe he was just loosing it…

And he realized how much his little world meant for him, how much he depended on it… how much he wanted it back.

So the sleepless nights begun, followed for bad humoured days, the running over Konoha's ceilings(this new schedule of him didn't allowed him to walk the streets), and so he lost his 'good mornings' which honestly only made him crankier and added to the stress of his new life. He started to yell at his students, maybe a bit more than was truly necessary so he felt guilty. Then the afternoon would come, full of glances and whispers; and when he thought the days could not be any worse, dinners would happen. Of course he still loved to spend time with Naruto, but sadly he wasn't the only one there, and unlike before, he could not just tune him off (not that the Jounin made any attempt to speak anyway), but Kakashi was always there, challenging him, waiting for him to finally explode; it was a battle of wills.

Iruka could not lie to himself though, he was not strong… he knew that at the end he would finally lose.

It was an afternoon and he was in the assignment room when it happened. Iruka could not hold his tears any longer, his frustration. Why did the village treat him like this?

Warm, crystalline water was falling from his eyes; all this time, all the stress finally finding a way out. He had been defeated.

He stood there, fire in his eyes, silently challenging them all to laugh, he didn't care anymore. He stood there waiting; expecting the soon to come mockery, expecting the hurtful words, expecting all to be over already.

He could not have predicted what happened next though.

He did definitely not expect to be kissed, not when his anger was taking the best of him, letting all know of his sadness.

He was surprised to say the least; and as he stood there he found himself even more surprised to be responding, slowly at first but growing into a passionate embrace. And so he let his sorrow melt away between his arms, and he thought…

'Maybe a surprise once in a while isn't as bad after all'

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any guess who the kisser is? O.o haha kidding! or am I? raise aneyebrow

oh almost forgot hehe, thanks for the reviews, I really wasn't expecting them at all, thanks to all the readers also haha it's so weird to write this, bye!

oh and send me gifts! my birthday is May 9... getting old and wrinkled here... old and wrinkled...

hmmm... also, I took Aoba's name from another character in the story ;)