Iruka woke up the next day, head spinning. "What did I do yesterday, I feel awful." thought Iruka. Laying on his bed, head pounding, Iruka tried to remember what he did. "Let's see I had to work at the mission desk yesterday, and got caught daydreaming" Iruka started blushing when he remember what he was daydreaming about. "Don't think about that, Kakashi would never see you like that. He doesn't even think of you as a friend." Sighing Iruka started to get up, "oh no" he thought and ran off to the bathroom, making it to the bathroom just in time. "What else did I do?" Iruka thought while bent over the toilet.
Then it hit him, "Genma asked me to go out with him and Raidou last night. He got drunk, and OH NO, Kakashi had helped him home. But I don't remember anything after he brought me home. How did I get into bed? Ugh! He probably thinks I hopeless. Like he would ever want to be my friend now." thought Iruka. "Well no use in worrying about it now, what's done is done." Getting up, Iruka decided to take a shower.
________________________________________________________________________
Sitting down on the sofa after he ate his late breakfast, Iruka decided he better start trying to grade some of his paperwork. Iruka was just about finished when he heard a knock at the door. "I wonder who that could be?" he thought. Walking over to the door and opening it. Iruka stood there frozen. "What is Kakashi doing here?" he thought.
"Um, hey Iruka. Are you ready to go?" asked Kakashi
"Go, go where." replied Iruka
Chuckling, Kakashi looked at Iruka and said "I was wondering if you would remember. I had asked you if you wanted to go grab something to eat at noon today and you had said yes." Seeing the expression on Iruka's face, Kakashi started to panic. "I mean just as friends. I just wanted to know if you wanted to get something as friends that's all."
Scrunching his eyebrows together, Iruka started thinking "I don't remember him asking he that. I thought maybe by the way he asked first, he wanted it to be something more. But friends is ok. I never thought Kakashi would want me to be his friend."
Thinking that Iruka didn't want to go, Kakashi said "We don't have to go, if you don't want to. I'm not going to hold you to it. You were a little ….."
"No, no. I would like to go get something to eat. Just give me a minute, and I'll go get changed." replied Iruka. Walking back into his bedroom to change his clothes. "This is so embarrassing. I can't believe I don't remember him asking to have lunch together." Iruka thought
Walking back out of his bedroom, Iruka looked at Kakashi and said "OK, I'm ready to go."
"Alright, let's go" replied Kakashi, opening the door to leave.
"Is Ichiraku ok?" asked Kakashi
"Sure, ramen sounds great" replied Iruka
Walking down the street Kakashi started thinking "I hope he doesn't think I'm to much of a pervert. Why do I even care what he thinks. It never bothered me before what other people thought of me. Because he's different. You want him to see more than just that." he thought sighing "I should have known better than to ask him last night when he was drunk. He probably doesn't want to be here. He's just doing this to be nice."
Iruka walking beside Kakashi and seeing the expression on his face started thinking to himself "Is he regretting asking me to have lunch with him. He doesn't seem to happy. Or maybe he's mad that I didn't remember. Maybe if I thank him, that will help."
"Um, thank you Kakashi for helping to take me home last night" said Iruka rubbing his nose and his cheeks turning a bright red from embarrassment.
Kakashi not realizing how deep in thought he was, looked up at Iruka and replied "It's no problem. I couldn't just leave you there, and Raidou looked like he could use some help." Realizing that they reached Ichiraku, Kakashi pulled back the drape and said "Shall we?"
Iruka embarrassed even more from what Kakashi said just simply replied "sure" and walked in to sit down. Once sitting down, Iruka looked over and realized Naruto was sitting there.
"Oh hey Naruto-kun. How are you today?" asked Iruka
"IRUKA-SENSEI! I'm ok. How about you?" replied Naruto
"I'm fine Naruto, thank you for asking. I thought you said that you were never here before?" asked Iruka.
"Well I enjoyed it so much when you brought me here the other day, that I had to come back and get more." replied Naruto rubbing the back of his head.
"This is not how it's suppose to be." growled Kakashi "He was only suppose to pay attention to me. How else are we going to get to know each other better."
Naruto realizing that someone else was with Iruka, looked over to Kakashi and said "Good afternoon, jounin-san"
Kakashi looking straight at Naruto, eyes narrowed a little just replied "Hn"
"Oh, I'm so sorry Naruto-kun I should have introduced you. This is Kakashi-san. Kakashi-san this is Naruto-kun. He's one of my students at the academy" said Iruka
"Please to meet you Kakashi-san." said Naruto
"hn" replied Kakashi. "Why don't you just leave. Your ruining my plans." Kakashi thought to himself.
Iruka not sure what to think of Kakashi's mood asked quietly "Are you ok, Kakashi-san?"
"Yes, I'm fine." replied Kakashi "How about we go ahead and order?" Kakashi thinking to himself "No, I'm not fine. Can't you see that. This was suppose to be just us." Both of them going ahead and placing their orders.
Naruto feeling a little nervous with Kakashi deciding that he should probably leave and head home. "Hey Iruka-sensei, I've finished my lunch already so I'm going to be leaving. I'll see you tomorrow at the academy."
"Um, ok. I'll see you tomorrow." said Iruka, smiling and ruffling the boys hair.
Naruto running out of the restaurant, waving as he was leaving.
"He's quite a handful." Iruka said, smiling to himself
"Hn" replied Kakashi
"Are you sure your ok, Kakashi-san? You haven't said hardly anything since we got here." asked Iruka
Kakashi realizing he better change the topic quick looked over at Iruka and smiled behind his mask and said. "I'm great Iruka. And please just call me Kakashi. How do you like teaching at the academy?"
Not sure what to think of the change of topic, Iruka just replied and said "Please just call me Iruka then. And I think I'm starting to settle in a little bit. I didn't know at first if I could handle it, but now I'm really starting to enjoy it." Iruka thinking to himself thought "The kids don't judge you like everyone else does." The expression not going unnoticed by Kakashi.
Putting a smile back on he looked at Kakashi and asked "How about you Kakashi, what all do you do?"
"Um, I just go out on missions." replied Kakashi
"Isn't that really dangerous?" asked Iruka. "That was a really dumb question to ask, idiot" Iruka thought to himself."
Chuckling, Kakashi replied "Yes, it's very dangerous, but it also keeps me busy." "I don't like to be sitting around to long doing nothing, because it starts to bring back old memories." Kakashi thought to himself.
"But don't you ever just want to stay in the village some?" asked Iruka
Kakashi dropping the smile on his face just simply said "No." "If only you would be willing to change that for me Iruka, but what am I thinking, he probably only thinks of me as a cold blooded killer." Kakashi thought to himself.
Iruka noticing the smile leaving Kakashi's face thought to himself "There's more to it than he's letting on. I wonder if he's hurting like me?" looking up when his food was brought out.
"Thank you, Teuchi-san" said Iruka
"Your welcome Iruka-kun" replied Teuchi. Teuchi putting the other bowl in front of Kakashi.
"Thank you" said Kakashi
"Your welcome, Kakashi-kun" replied Teuchi, leaving to go back to work.
Both of them putting their hands together and saying Itadakimase.
"I take it you come here often?" asked Kakashi
Rubbing his nose, Iruka looked over at Kakashi and replied "Yes, Teuchi-san is really nice."
"Hm, I didn't realize you like ramen so much?" said Kakashi
"It's not so much that I like ramen that much. I come here to just talk to Teuchi-san." replied Iruka. His face turning red from embarrassment.
Kakashi lifting his eyebrow, said "Don't you have any friends?"
"Um, no not really." said Iruka, lowering his head in embarrassment.
Kakashi seeing the sad look on Iruka's face asked "But what about Genma and Raidou?"
"Um well I consider Genma and Raidou a friend now, even though I don't know Raidou all that well. But I've worked with Genma a lot this week and feel that we have become friends. But before that, I never really had any friends." said Iruka giving him a small smile and then looking at Kakashi's bowl shocked that he had finished eating so quick.
"When did you finish your ramen?" asked Iruka
Rubbing the back of his neck, smiling Kakashi replied "Um, hehe, just a few minutes ago."
"But your bowl was full a few minutes ago." said Iruka "Did you even enjoy it?"
"Yes, it was very filling" replied Kakashi feeling a little embarrassed now.
Shaking his head, Iruka looked over with a smile on his face and asked "How about you, do you have many friends?"
Shrugging Kakashi replied "Not really, I have a few comrades that I talk to once in awhile, but other that, no."
"At least you have people willing to talk to you." said Iruka just above a whisper not intended for anyone to hear finishing his bowl of ramen. But with Kakashi sensitive hearing, he understood every word.
Not wanting to let Iruka know that he heard him, Kakashi said "Well I'd better be going. I have to go home and get ready to leave for a mission."
Iruka looking up a little shocked replied "Um, ok." Both of them getting ready to pay for their orders. Kakashi reaching over and putting a hand on Iruka's and said "No, I've got it. I did ask you to go to lunch with me."
But it's not a date or anything Kakashi. I can pay for my own. I was happy to come." replied Iruka, rubbing his nose as he said it.
Kakashi not listening put out enough money for both and turned to leave, smiling back at Iruka.
Iruka not sure what to make of they way Kakashi was acting, just followed him out.
"Be careful on your mission, Kakashi. And be safe." said Iruka
Kakashi surprised at what Iruka said, eyes going wide for only a second, composed himself and said "Thank you Iruka. Don't let those little brats get to you to much. I'll talk to you when I get back which will be in a couple weeks." Both waving and going their separate ways.
