AN: Okay, okay, I caved. Here's the part two to Pieces, like ya'll demanded so nicely. I expect a review from everyone of you that demanded this! It's the polite thing to do. Enjoy!

Once clear of the Forest of Death, all Iruka wanted to do was go home and die. He had never been so embarrassed before in his life! It was as if Kakashi knew exactly which buttons to push to get a rise out of him.

True, most of the village knew which buttons would get a rise, but Iruka had never been angry like that before. Back there he had been- been- he had been plain indignant.

It was a foreign feeling but one he was sure he'd get over. In time. At least the Copy Nin hadn't followed him.

With that thought, Iruka squared his shoulders and set a path for the training ground. It was the unofficial meeting place for young chuunin and - as it was just nearing dusk - at least half a dozen should be there. Hopefully Kotetsu and Izumo were still around. Iruka had a kunai for them.

Kakashi smirked as the little chuunin ran off, merely turning to watch him flee.

The boy had been cute, to say the least. Far more entertaining than patrols. He had just been planning to sleep through his shift, anyway, and let Yugao handle it. She'd be pissed, but the job would get done and that's what the Hokage cared about.

Speaking of the Hokage…

Kakashi gathered the pieces of his mask and deposited them in his shuriken pouch. He had to take out the shuriken, to fit all the shards, so he stuck them in his pocket and ignored that that went against one of the first things he learned about weapon safety.

With that taken care of, he took off for the Hokage's office.

The third was doing what looked like completely generic paperwork when Kakashi swung in through the window. The Copy Nin wasn't even sure it was official Konoha business. He had used his sharingan once to copy the man's writing only to have a rather descriptive monologue about how boring the report Ibiki had given just before was.

Someday, Kakashi was going to play this trump card of his, but today, he didn't think he'd need it.

Sarutobi looked pissed.

He didn't look over at Kakshi, which wasn't necessarily strange. What was odd was how the old man jumped when Kakashi walked around into his eye line.

"You're real?! Oh thank god!"

Kakashi only had a moment of pause before he connected what his little chuunin had said to this reaction.

"So, still genjutsu'd old man?"

The third glared at him, though Kakashi thought it had less to do with him and more to do with the little prankster that did the actual harm.

"You heard about that, huh? When Iruka decides it's safe to show his face around here again, I'm going to… to do something. That boy thinks he's got the run of the place…"

He trailed off at that, giving a very amused Kakashi time to cut in.

"Iruka?"

"Oh?" Sarutobi looked up, startled. "Iruka? Yes, Iruka Umino. That brat's been pranking me for years, but this, this is going too far."

"He does this often? Prank you, that is?"

"Yes, he-"

Sarutobi stopped and really looked at Kakashi for a moment.

"Kakashi, where is your mask?"

The Copy Nin grinned and dropped his shuriken pouch on the desk.

"Iruka's got pretty quick reflexes."

The man just stared at the shuriken pouch, afraid to open it. He leveled Kakashi with a blank stare.

"You're not getting a new one."

The grin did not waver from Kakashi's face.

"I plan to put it back together, but first, I need to get the last piece of it back. Do you know where Iruka would be? He needs to prove that he finished his rites of passage, if that helps?"

A frown spread across Sarutobi's face.

"Rites of passage? Is that what this is all about?"

Kakashi nodded, eyes curving into happy crescents.

"The chuunin meet in the training ground sometimes. Try there. And make sure you get back at that little brat for me."

"Oh, it'll be a day he won't forget, sir."

Iruka had found a group of chuunin (which, fortunately, had included Kotetsu and Izumo) and was presently showing off the piece of the porcelain mask he had snatched.

"Oh, common!" Izumo rolled his eyes, taking the shard from Iruka. "How do we know that this came from an ANBU? I mean, it's just a piece of white porcelain. There isn't even any paint! This could be from a bowl!"

Iruka grabbed it back, cutting Izumo's finger on the way. The teen cursed, sticking the injured appendage in his mouth and leveling Iruka with a glare.

"You try and come head to head with an ANBU and stick around long enough to find the best piece."

Anko grinned from her perch on a dead log.

"Give the boy a break. He's obviously afraid of kissing someone for the first time!"

The glare that met this statement was nothing compared to the sudden chill in the silence.

"Oh, common Iruka! You blush all the time, every time something like this is brought up. And we all know you've never been kissed."

"Well, I kissed an ANBU like you guys dared me to!" Iruka shouted.

The others conferred for a moment before Anko declared, a huge grin on her face, "We don't believe you!"

"Like you could break an ANBU's mask anyway!"

Iruka was prepared to launch his whole arsenal of weapons at them - some of them just had to stick - when something fell from the sky and landed in front of him.

The other chuunin froze, eyes wide as they took in the sight of the Legendary Copy Nin, who was very obviously dressed in the garb of an ANBU, tattoo and all. The only thing missing was the mask.

"Hey there, Iruka," Kakashi drawled, a lazy grin showing even through the black cloth of his face mask. "Long time no see."

Iruka wasn't sure if he should be angry or glad at the man's sudden appearance.

"Hey there yourself, Kakashi," Iruka said slowly, deciding that confused matched the situation more anyway. "What're you doing here?"

Kakashi raised an eyebrow at that. This little chuunin had nerve!

"Seems you have something of mine. I want it back."

Any civilian would have glanced down at the porcelain shard that was hidden in him palm or grip it tighter. Iruka, being a good nin, did neither of these things. He merely cocked his head, staring up at the Copy Nin through his bangs.

"I'll give it back to you if you tell them I kissed you."

A strangled sound came from the group of chuunin behind Kakashi (probably Kotetsu, Iruka thought with dark humor).

Serves him right.

Kakashi's head wiped around, though from the comment or the noise, Iruka wasn't sure. He took in the small gathering he'd interrupted - though it was all for show, there was no way he didn't know when he was surrounded by people - and hummed.

"I don't know, Iruka," Kakashi said and he turned back to the 16-year-old. "I don't think what you did counts for what they want. Besides, I can easily just take it from you."

For a second, Iruka saw red. He was able to control himself enough, however, to not attack the member of ANBU. It would not end well for him, he was sure.

"Fine, take it then, but I won't give it to you."

For reasons unknown to the chuunin around him, Kakashi burst out laughing. Once he calmed down enough, he leveled Iruka with a very amused look.

"Tell you what, kid, I'll help you out, kay?"

"Wha-"

Kakashi, in what had to be record speed, pulled down his mask and pressed their lips together, cutting off Iruka's question.

It was probably for the best, anyway. He really couldn't remember what he had been about to ask anyway.

Iruka had been leaning against a fence on the outskirts of the training field. Now, he clung to that fence for dear life.

Kakashi, in the meanwhile, tried not to let his smile get too big. His little chuunin was as stiff as a board - and not in the good way. He really had never been kissed.

Well, Kakashi could fully remedy that situation.

There was suddenly a tingling sensation in his lips and the logical part of Iruka's brain - the part that hadn't died, at least - told him Kakashi was humming. Was that normal? It wasn't… bad.

And then there was a tongue against him lips and then in his mouth because for some reason he had opened his mouth at the probing question of that tongue. That was weird, but the outcome? Not unpleasant.

A small noise escaped his throat, and he wasn't sure if he was kissing back now, but Kakashi didn't seem to be complaining. Quite the contrary, if that grunt was anything to go by. Then there were strong hands on his hips and a hard, warm body pressing against him and when had his hands grabbed Kakashi's forearms? They were very nice, Iruka found himself thinking as he slowly started to knead them. Very nice.

All too soon, Kakashi was pulling back, breaking the very nice kiss that Iruka really didn't want broken yet. Ever.

So the chuunin did the only thing he could think to do and lunged forward, trying to continue the kiss.

Kakashi, the utter bastard, tried to dodge him. Iruka was fast, though, and he ended up with Kakashi's bottom lip between his teeth, glaring at the older man.

Kakashi wanted to laugh at what the situation had turned into.

" 'ruka, ah need mah 'ip back."

Iruka licked at the lip between his teeth, looking lightly apologetic, which just made Kakashi want to laugh again. He settled for snorting, his eyes dancing with glee.

Finally, Iruka released Kakashi's lip and leaned back. He suddenly remembered that they had an audience and grew coy, staring fixedly at the center of Kakashi's chest.

The Copy Nin, in the meantime, pulled his mask up and studied the sudden change in the young man before him. Iruka glanced at him through his bangs, but quickly went back to staring at his chest.

Well, we can't have that.

Kakashi grabbed Iruka's chin, forcing the chuunin to meet his eyes.

"It seems you've dropped the piece of my mask that I was coming to find. I'm really a very busy nin, Iruka, and I don't have time to wait around while you find it, so…" He shoved his shuriken pouch at Iruka's chest. The chuunin looked panicked for a second before realizing Kakashi wasn't trying to kill him and grabbed the pouch. "I'll swing by your place in a few hours for it, so get to work."

With that, he was gone. Iruka glanced down at the shuriken pouch, opening the flap enough to see what was inside it and groaned.

He had broken it, though…

Adding the fallen shard to the pouch, he look up at the other chuunin. They all looked shocked, to say the least.

"See? Told you I completed the task!"

Kotetsu and Izumo looked at each other for a moment before Kotetsu announced, "Yea, we're not accepting it. He stole the kiss from you."

With a vicious snarl, Iruka tackled the backstabbing traitor.