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The days passed, and eventually events did return to normal. Iruka healed and went back to teaching, Izumo and Kotetsu and Mizuki stayed his friends, and Kakashi kept following him, fulfilling a crippling need to be near the sensei. Kakashi slowly became used to the fact that nothing would happen if he left Iruka's side for even a moment, memories of that horrible rescue mission not fading but at least losing potency.

Tenzou also recovered, and he and Kakashi now went on missions together while the other half of their team remained undercover. They received weekly updates from Gai about Genma's progress, and things became as normal as they could be for an ANBU.

Kakashi was given a break from the traumatic missions, for the most part, so he and Tenzou were able to do more with their off time than train and mope about with their respective fixes. However, Genma and Gai were having their own troubles. For once, Lion was more worried about their mental state than Kakashi's.

Genma's pseudo-interrogation had gone well enough. He had been accepted into the group with the backstory that his village has asked him to kill one of his friends in order to orchestrate a cover up, and he had left rather than carry out his orders. It was a daring choice but it seemed to have gone over very well; Kakashi was pleased- Genma was always more perceptive than he looked. Taiyo, in return, had told him a little bit more about the group he had joined. Apparently, the majority had become missing nin for reasons similar to Genma's story- it all boiled down to a group of people who had chosen to be human over being their village's tool.

The group was one that was against the shinobi system of the Five Great Hidden Villages. They caused internal disputes to shake up its firm foundations and make it easier to disrupt. As of now, that was their only goal- they wanted to wait until they were stronger to pull off their longtime goal. What that was, Taiyo had not disclosed to Genma yet. So far, he had just assigned him missions like causing trouble in Iwa or Kiri. Those two particular villages weren't exactly friendly with Konoha and Lion was content to let Genma do just that while they waited for Taiyo to trust him enough to confide in him more.

The problem was, Genma was beginning to like the missing nin he was working with. They were good men, all with sob stories and who welcomed him easily enough into their camp. It wasn't at all missing nin-esque, with prisoners and dungeons and torture and men willing to sell their souls for money.

Of course, Genma denied this entirely. But Gai had told Kakashi that if the mission continued on for much longer, if it came to attacking his new comrades- Genma may not be able to do it.

He had yet to pass on that particular bit of information to Lion.

But, while Genma possibly or possibly not rethought his priorities and Gai watched protectively, Kakashi and Tenzou did usual ANBU things on usual ANBU missions.

It wasn't until three months after they had rescued Iruka and his students from the Iwa nin that Hound took another mission that made him truly, desperately need his fix. That mission changed everything.

Hound didn't even report in. Kakashi's needs were so strong he forwent speaking with the commander, instead letting instincts and longing take him across the village to one certain sensei's house. His hands were dripping with blood- not his- his eye kept seeing all those dead bodies, all of them- bodies not dead by his hand. He himself without a mark on him and one entire village laid to waste, the mutant ninja responsible decaying in a pool of acid Hound hadn't dared touch. He had no idea where the likes of the enemy had come from and the situation was serious; Lion had to know immediately. But Hound's feet carried him in the direction of Umino Iruka, with or without his permission.

He arrived in his favorite tree with a relieved gasp, searching for his fix frantically, for the man who would help him, make him stop seeing the girl writhing on the ground in pain and a creature screaming in insane agony, the village burning as he fled into the night.

But Iruka wasn't smiling. He didn't even look happy. Iruka not happy was not his fix.

Hound growled at the sight of the sensei sprawled across his couch on his side, head pillowed in his arms. Papers lay abandoned in front of him, his gaze blank and corners of his mouth tugging down in a sad frown. Sad. Iruka was sad.

Hound growled again. Iruka should not be sad. Whoever made Iruka sad would pay.

Damn it, he needed Iruka right now, needed him to be normal and happy mother of god, it hurts! Kill me! Kill me! God, kill me! Please kill Iruka was not happy, and Hound needed him to be happy to just stop remembering her please! and his instincts needed to just shut up and forget that only three hours ago even taking one hit would have meant his death and

Knock knock. Knock knock.

The knocks disrupted both Hound and Iruka. He shifted to glower at the door as the sensei moved slightly, raising his head off his arms. "Who is it?" he called softly.

"Mizuki."

Hound snarled at the name and the voice. If you dare say a word to hurt him, I'll kill you and like it.

"I'm here because you left some papers at dinner; they look-"

Mizuki didn't get the chance to finish his sentence. Iruka's expression had shifted from sad to livid the moment he'd introduced himself and the sensei had gotten right off the couch and stormed over to throw his door open. He moved it with such force that the doorknob cracked the wall and he completely ignored the paper in Mizuki's hands, just grabbed the chuunin by the collar and yanked him down so they were eye level.

"You son of a bitch, what the hell are you doing here?!"

Mizuki's face betrayed nothing but surprised, but Hound crouched, ready to pounce at the man who was the cause of Iurka's ire.

"You think you can just come back here talking like this after what you said to me?!"

Mizuki stared at him, then roughly forced Iruka off of him and tossed the file at him. "Look, I just said what I thought. Now you wanna be mad at me? Great; now you maybe understand how angry I am at you!"

Iruka was fuming; he looked like he was furious enough to kill. "Don't you dare ever say something like- like that to me again! If you do, I don't care, friends or not, I'll- I'll-"

"You'll what, hit me?" Mizuki taunted. "Right. If you were going to hit me, you would have done it at din-"

Iruka's fist was moving before Mizuki was done talking, and it smashed into the other man's face and sent him careening back against the wall. He landed without reacting, face frozen in shock, and Iruka knelt without hesitation and got right in his face. "I've told you before. Never talk about Naruto like that, and especially not in front of me. But if you ever, and I mean ever say that I am b-betraying my parents by caring about him- by being friends with the beast that killed my parents- then you will regret it. Do you understand me?"

It was quiet for a heartbeat. Iruka's face was twisted in fury and Mizuki was staring blankly up at him, almost confused, before he sneered and forced Iruka back. "Get out of my face."

Iruka moved back several paces, his face now oddly calm. He took a few seconds to just breathe, then looked back up at the chuunin and spoke, voice now quiet compared with the earlier shouting. "Take what you said back, or we are done, Mizuki. I'm serious. Take it back or I'll have nothing to do with you after today."

Mizuki just laughed. "You're threatening me? Iruka, face it- no one else would put up with your whiny shit. Ever wonder why the only other people you hang out are Izumo and Kotetsu? They're childish and just as stupid as those brats you teach; the only people who like you are kids, Iruka, because you're just as whiny and pathetic as they are. If you 'are done' with me, then you won't even have any friends. Without me, you're nothing."

Hound threw himself forward, fast as the lightening he was known for. He moved straight through the window in a rainbow of shattering glass and leaped over Iruka's head to land on top of Mizuki, white hot light crackling on his fist. He clamped fingers over the suddenly terrified chuunin's wrist, burning his flesh black, and snarled.

Protect Iruka by killing this man. This man hurt Iruka, and so, to protect him, he had to kill him. Hound growled again before bringing his other hand to his throat and squeezing, tight-

A fist was coming up from behind him. Hound dropped his head and it whistled above, smashing into Mizuki instead of him, and there was a surprised exclamation from behind him. Did Mizuki have friends? Good, more for him to kill. Hound stood and twisted, bringing Mizuki's body up with him with a hand around his throat to see-

Just Iruka?

But the sensei was clearly terrified. He jumped back the moment Hound stood, his shaking fists raised and his brown eyes wide. He whipped out a kunai and took another step back, then his eyes focused on Mizuki. "Mizuki!" he cried, and Hound brought the bastard back against the wall with such force he cracked his skull. The chuunin cried out and Iruka gasped, but Hound didn't understand. What was Iruka so afraid of? There was just Mizuki, but it was okay, Mizuki was being taken care of-

He's scared of you.

It hit Hound like a bucket of ice water. Iruka was scared of him.

The realization was what it took to weaken Hound's hold and Kakashi broke through, and instead of a lethal ANBU captain there stood a disbelieving and almost terrified jounin. Iruka was looking at him like he was an enemy, Mizuki was struggling despite the grip on his throat and he didn't know what to do. He had lost control around Iruka again, he could've hurt Iruka, Iruka, who he never wanted to hurt, Iruka who kept him sane, Iruka who-

When Iruka came at him, Kakashi turned and ran.

"Kakashi."

Kakashi ignored Lion's voice. He let his head drop and stared blankly at the floor of his apartment, fists curled loosely by his side.

"Report, Hatake Kakashi."

Report what… on, that's right. He was on a mission. He was ANBU. He had to report.

"Mission failure. Was unable to prevent the enemy from destroying the civilian village due to the fact that I arrived too late. However, the target was terminated. Reports were correct; he was mutated. Entire body was coated in some sort of acid that corroded weapons but did not harm him; I did not bring his body back for research because when I killed him, all the acid inside of him somehow came out and began to destroy his body. There would have been nothing to take back."

Lion made no sound, and Kakashi wasn't facing him, but he got the impression that he was pleased. He shouldn't be. The whole village was dead. "Good work, Kakashi."

He was pleased. Pleased because he was a good tool and killed the target. Couldn't he be a good tool and save people, too?

No. He hurt people, people like Iruka. He couldn't…

"By the way. I received a report of an ANBU attack from inside this village on two chuunin? Do you happen to know anything about that?"

Kakashi's head drooped even further. "Don't worry. I won't be interacting with Iruka…sensei again. I've learned my lesson."

"It's actually not that simple. I need to know why you went ape shit and attacked Hazashaki Mizuki. He's in the hospital, you know. Attempted strangulation can do that to a person. I'm keeping this quiet, but if word gets out, the council may want to press charges. I can only keep this quiet if I know why it happened. Can't have an ANBU roaming around and attacking chuunin."

Kakashi shook his head at that. "I apologize. It won't happen again. …I just saw Mizuki… hurting Iruka-sensei and lost control of Hound. I will avoid Iruka-sensei and Mizuki in the future so that it will not happen again. If you want to take disciplinary action, then I won't resist."

Lion sighed. "I'm not going to take disciplinary action. I'm just glad you got yourself back under control. ANBU who have lost control around their fixes have killed before."

"Then… if that is all, would you kindly leave?"

Lion took one long look at his operative before complying with the request. Kakashi didn't move even when he was gone.

It was two days before Kakashi had contact with anyone else. Tenzou didn't stop by, and his ANBU tattoo never burned, which meant he wasn't needed by them. He was a tool, and if he wasn't needed to work, he had nothing to do. Perhaps, before, he would have gone to see Iruka, but… that wasn't a possibility anymore.

It was noon on his second day of self-induced solitary confinement when the knock at his door came. It confused him a bit, because ANBU didn't knock, and no one else would come see him. He just sat there on his couch- with that blanket he had bought just because of Iruka in his hands- and stared at the door, waiting for it to do something to make the knock less confusing.

The knock came again, this time a little more insistent. When Kakashi still didn't move, it came yet again, along with a voice.

"Kakashi-san? It's Iruka... can you please open the door?"

WHAT?!

Iruka… what was Iruka doing here? Here?! He shouldn't be here! He shouldn't have come here, this was bad, this wasn't good, Iruka should not be here. Kakashi scrambled to his feet and away from the door, staring at it like it might grow fangs and bite him. What on earth was going? Why was Iruka here? No, never mind why he was here; Kakashi had to run, run before Hound came out again and he lost control and hurt Iruka and-

"The ANBU commander talked to me and explained- well, I just would like to talk to you. Can you please open the door?"

Lion did WHAT?! Kakashi took another frantic step back. He could just leave, run away and Iruka would never have known he'd been there and then he wouldn't try this ever again, this Bad Idea ever again, and-

"Kakashi-san, I know you're in there, I can sense your Chakra. …Please open the door?"

FUCK! Why aren't I hiding my Chakra?! I should be- stupid, stupid and worthless and… aaargh!

"Kakashi-san!"

Drooping his head in defeat, Kakashi slouched off to the door with a longing glance over his shoulder at the window. He had almost reached the door when he quickly shook his head and stepped back, taking his weapon's pouch off his belt and tossing it. He had enough weapons still hidden on his person to be a threat but at least now it would be harder for him to hurt Iruka. Then he went back to the door and opened it in the middle of another pleading attempt of Iruka's.

The man's face showed surprise when the door cracked open, Kakashi hanging onto it, looking at him cautiously. He didn't look angry- far from it, actually. His expression was nervous and uncertain, hands clasped in front of him, and Kakashi wanted to shrink back. What if Iruka actually was upset with him? He had every right to be, but…

Iruka frowned at how he clung to the door and shifted awkwardly. "Um… can I come in?"

Kakashi took a tiny step back but didn't open the door any further. "I- Iruka-sensei, you-"

"Oh! I'm sorry, Kakashi-san, I probably should've said that I'm not here to yell at you. Lion-sama said you might think that and… well, I can see why you would. But I just wanted to talk with you, really."

Kakashi didn't have any idea of what Iruka could possibly want to talk to him about, but his instincts told him it was a bad idea. He could lose control of Hound and hurt Iruka; bad idea. He couldn't risk it. "Iruka-sensei, I really don't think that this is a good idea."

Iruka's frown deepened, and now he seemed a little annoyed. "Well, I think you owe me at least a talk. After stalking me for three months, then I think I deserve at least a little explanation, don't you?"

He winced. Yeah, there was another reason that ANBU didn't often talk to their fixes. Their fixes probably wouldn't be willing to be used like this. …Damn, Iruka was right. He really didn't like that. Kakashi reluctantly took a step back and pulled the door open further, though still hanging off of it, almost afraid to let go. If his hands were free- well, he used his hands to kill. Not good, with Iruka here.

Iruka's face softened and he looked away, even as he moved inside and toed his sandals off. "Sorry. I didn't- I shouldn't have- well, I didn't come here for an explanation. Well, I kind of did, but- oh, can we just talk?"

Kakashi nodded weakly and took another few steps back. He clasped his hands tightly behind his back and looked awkwardly around his apartment. Iruka did as well, and his eyes widened a bit in surprise. "Oh… this looks a lot like my place."

The heat rose in his cheeks and he clenched his fists together. Kakashi said nothing; somehow, he didn't think 'I copied your apartment to be more human' would go over very well.

When he just stayed silent, Iruka shifted awkwardly and looked around. When Kakashi made no move to sit down, Iruka didn't, either. The sensei just started talking. "Okay. The ANBU commander told me that you weren't actually that… odd when it came to… I think he called it your 'fixes'? I can't say I'm entirely comfortable with the idea that you've been, well, watching me all the time for so long, but- I understand that you didn't do it to hurt me or… be weird, or… well, I understand why you did it. Well, kind of. The commander didn't tell me why you chose me, and I can't imagine why you did- I mean, I'm just a chuunin, I'm not- well, anyway. That's why I came here. I wanted to know why you chose me."

Kakashi tried not to look at him, but he was surprised. "You mean…you don't care that I- and Mizuki-…"

"Okay, yes, I do care about that," he confessed. "But no one was seriously hurt and the commander told me that you really didn't intend to hurt him. I don't understand how that could be true, considering how you're an ANBU captain, but, well… I mean… I guess that the commander told me I had become important to you. That he'd never seen you like this before and he's worked with you and above you for ten years. And it surprised me that I could affect someone's life so much without even knowing it. Oh, ah… I'm sorry." His cheeks colored lightly and he looked away. "I'm sorry if I'm being presumptuous. Maybe I wasn't really anything to you. But… your commander said otherwise and…" he trailed off and shrugged awkwardly. "I don't know. I think I came here because I wanted to know… why. Why you… I guess, fixated on me. What was so special about me?"

Kakashi frowned. What was so special about him? Everything. Okay, that seemed like a silly answer, but… it was true.

When he didn't answer, Iruka shifted nervously. "…Please answer me? …Oh, no… Mizuki was right, wasn't he?"

The question seemed to be asked more to himself but Kakashi's eye widened and he took a step forward. "What? No, he wasn't."

"Huh?"

Kakashi shook his head harshly. "No. Mizuki wasn't right. He was wrong."

"You don't even know what he said-"

"Doesn't matter. Mizuki's always wrong."

Iruka frowned nervously. "But… what?"

Kakashi shook his head again. He violently hated Mizuki with a passion and hated it when Iruka listened to him. He always got sad because of that.

When he didn't elaborate, Iruka just shrugged. "Well, when Mizuki found about you and… this whole 'fix' business… he said that you probably chose me because I'm… well… he said that it was because I was 'weak'-..."

He trailed off into silence, voice getting so quiet that Kakashi could barely hear the last word- but it was audible enough for him to understand, and he clenched his fists. "See?" he growled, a bit triumphant. "I told you, Mizuki was wrong."

"Well, then correct him!" Iruka challenged defensively. "You still won't tell me anything!"

Kakashi scratched his nose and shifted uneasily. There really was no way out of this; he had to answer Iruka's question. "…I… liked your smell."

Iruka's cheeks colored self-consciously. "My… what?"

Kakashi nodded earnestly and did his best not to look at him. "Yes. M-my fix, in the past few years… I went to the civilian district, and um, would smell out a favorite house. That's how I found you. I could smell your house and thought it was a civilian's- I didn't even know until I looked at you that you were a ninja."

The sensei's eyes narrowed. "So you picked me because I smelled like a civilian?" He crossed his arms angrily and Kakashi quickly shook his head, trying to placate him.

"Yes, yes- but not in a bad way!"

Iruka watched him suspiciously. "So, this civilian smell- what is it, exactly? Should I be insulted or… not?"

Kakashi had thought about this often enough in the past, even before he'd met Iruka. "It smells… anti-shinobi, I suppose. No blood, that's always important. No blood. Somehow, food made it in there- most ninja don't cook much, for obvious reasons. So, food and no blood. Kids also came in there. Because, too often I would get false alarms from these ninja who actually decompressed by cooking and went to the hospital before going home, so no smell of blood- but they never had kids. And children have a distinctive smell. So, it all worked out. No blood, food, and kids. …When my nose led me to you, I was going to leave, at first, but- well, you… you were…"

"Yes?

"…Baking."

Iruka's expression, which had steady softened through his explanation, became confused. "Baking?"

Kakashi nodded. "Yes. Cookies. They interested me. So I stayed and watched. And… you did what my civilians always did for me, so- well, I came back the next day. Watched you teach. Then… just kept coming back."

"Ah. I see." Iruka paused. Scratched at his scar. Looked around nervously. The silence stretched on and Kakashi found himself very interested in the floorboards.

Finally, the sensei started on a different topic of discussing. "What about Mizuki? Why did you attack him?"

Kakashi stiffened. "…I'm sorry. I had just came back from a mission. I was more Ho- my ANBU persona than myself. He is more… instinctive than me, and less intelligent about rights and wrongs in a social setting. And that's saying something. He- I- saw Mizuki saying, er… hurting you and… he lost control. We're both very… protective people. I'm sorry. It won't happen again. I'm not going to go to you again. I'm very sorry." He bowed slightly, keeping his eyes on the floor instead of Iruka. "Please… forgive me for any trouble I caused. I didn't mean to- Hound has never lost control like that before, not in Konoha. I should have been more careful but…" He trailed off weakly and shook his head. "I'm sorry. I won't trouble you again."

It was so painfully silent Kakashi wondered if running out the window was still an option. He anxiously twisted his fingers in his pockets and licked his lips under his mask, and was on the verge of actually running to escape through the window when Iruka spoke.

"You are being presumptuous now, Kakashi-san."

He cautiously raised his head to see the sensei leveling him with an almost amused look. He frowned. What was funny?

"I didn't come here to tell you to leave me alone or for an apology."

Kakashi's frown deepened. Then why on earth would he have come? He stared in confusion, and Iruka just shook his head, seeming to be trying not to laugh.

"I just wanted to know why you were doing this. I'm not going to lie and say that I'm fully comfortable with what you did or apparently having someone tracking my movements 24/7, but… your actions were innocent enough. And the ANBU commander… he seemed to be… rather adverse to the idea of you having to find a new fix."

Kakashi stiffened at that. "I sincerely doubt that. He hated you, Iruka-sensei. …Well, he hated my obse- um, behavior around you."

"That is not the impression I got. He seemed almost regretful that you would have to find a new fix. Well… in any case… Kakashi-san, I've done a lot of thinking about this. But, well- if you still want to use me, that is… I would not be… against that. But not secretly!" he added quickly, shaking his head. "None of this watching me without telling me. I don't like that. I'd rather not have to wonder in my own village if someone is watching my every move. I get enough of that on missions, thanks. If you want someone to talk to, or not talk to, just be around- you can just knock on my door."

Kakashi could barely believe what he was hearing. Iruka wasn't angry with him? And he was- he was offering to keep being his fix?

He had no idea what to do.

After a few moments has passed of him just staring in disbelief, he finally managed, "People… do that?"

Iruka tilted his head to the side in confusion. "Do what?"

"What you said. Just… show up uninvited?"

The sensei chuckled. "Well, when you put it like that, it sounds rude. I guess I'm extending the invitation now."

"I don't understand." And he didn't. What it he dared to actually go to Iruka's home after this and it was a bad time? Or what if Iruka wasn't there? Or what if it was a good time and Iruka actually was there but he didn't want him there?

Iruka frowned. "What don't you understand?"

Kakashi tried to put his thoughts into words, but just ended up with the ineloquent, "…But… what if it's not- what if you were busy? Or what if you didn't want me there? Or what if I… messed up your home somehow?"

Iruka laughed quietly, smiling- the expression faded when Kakashi just stared blankly. "Oh, dear- you're not joking, are you?"

Kakashi shifted uneasily. What he had said had sounded funny?

When he didn't say anything, the sensei sighed and scratched at the base of his ponytail. "Ah… I'm sorry. I shouldn't have laughed. But… haven't you ever gone over to a friend's house before? I mean, we're not exactly friends, Kakashi-san, but this is similar to that, right?"

Kakashi felt the heat rise in his cheeks and stared hard at the floor. A teleportation jutsu sounded just about perfect right now.

The silence stretched on and Iruka gave a low gasp. "Oh, no. You mean… you have never actually gone over to a friend's house before?"

Kakashi shrugged. "It's kind of hard to, when you don't have any friends."

When he risked a look up at Iruka's face, it was to see him looking almost taken aback, brown eyes wide. "Oh! I- I'm sorry, Kakashi-san, I- I- I didn't…"

Why did Iruka sound sad? He hadn't meant to make him sad. Had he said something sad or just made a mistake? "I'm sorry," he murmured awkwardly, scratching the side of his neck. "I don't really… I'm new at this," he confessed. "I'm bad at- I didn't mean to make you sad."

Iruka blinked. "What? You didn't make me sad, Kakashi-san, it's just… oh, what a mess."

"A mess?!" Kakashi stiffened and looked around his apartment worriedly, searching for the offending disorder. "Wh-what do you mean? It's exactly like yours, I know I did something wrong because it feels wrong but it's not-"

"Hey, hey that's not what I meant! Calm down, Kakashi-san, I meant an emotional mess, a-… um… what do you mean, it's exactly like mine?"

Uh oh. Kakashi had zero experience with anything like this, and barely any more with anything social, but he was pretty sure that copying Iruka's apartment was not something he was supposed to do. He stared hard at his feet again, listening to Iruka begin to move about the room and examine it.

"What the… oh my god. This is exactly like my living room!"

Kakashi bit his lip. "I- is it…" If Iruka recognized it- then what had he done wrong? Something about it was different, that was obvious, but even he and his perfect Sharingan memories couldn't tell what. He watched, on the verge of asking as the sensei moved from the living room to the rest of the tiny apartment without hesitation- then saw him heading back to the bedroom.

My genin team picture! It's still there! I didn't move it! Oh, shit, I never moved it and-

"Wait! Wait! That room's not ready yet! Don't look, Iruka-sensei, that room's not-"

No! I'm too late!

Kakashi stood, frozen, staring as Iruka just looked around his bedroom. He closed his eye and dropped his head. Well, on the upside… at least Iruka could tell him what he did wrong now. It probably was his genin team picture, he thought miserably. That had to be it. That was the only thing that was different.

It was dreadfully, awfully silent for three whole seconds. Then he heard Iruka turning around, felt the weight of his judgmental gaze coming to rest on him. Kakashi winced.

"…What did you mean, it wasn't ready yet? Your bedroom's fine."

Kakashi's eye widened. …WHAT?! That's impossible! The jounin scampered past him to stare at his bedroom in shock. No, his genin team picture was sitting right where he'd left it. He glanced back at Iruka in confusion… maybe he just hadn't seen it?

"Kakashi-san, you're not making any sense. By your reaction, I thought that you had… I don't know, creepy pictures of me or something in here."

Kakashi frowned. Why would he have those? "No, I- I just… I couldn't move my picture. But you had your genin team picture somewhere else. I didn't want to move mine but- I get it, it's probably important, I just-"

"What on earth are you going on about? Your picture's fine wherever you put it. It's your picture, after all, and your apartment." Iruka smiled at him slightly, seeming confused, and backtracked out of the bedroom.

Kakashi followed. "So, you mean, it's not important? Where I put it?"

"…Important for what?"

Iruka looked unbelievably confused and Kakashi fidgeted, looking nervously around his apartment. "…Your place looks different than mine. Or feels different than mine, I guess. I liked yours better, so I tried to copy it…"

The sensei just blinked, dumbfounded. He was quiet for a few seconds before he stumbled back out to the living room, Kakashi on his heels once again, watching as he moved slowly about the room before he picked up a random photograph and showed it to him. "Kakashi-san, who is this?"

Uh oh. I'm supposed to know who's in the picture? "Uh…"

"Do you know anybody in any of these pictures?"

"Er… well…"

Laughing, Iruka set the picture down again. "The commander wasn't kidding when he told me you had no idea stalking someone was wrong, was he? You really don't know much about this stuff."

Kakashi frowned and did his best to look affronted. "I'm not stupid. I do know some things, Iruka-sensei."

"I don't think you're stupid, Kakashi-san, it's just… oh, my."

His frown deepened when the sensei chuckled again. "I'm sorry, it's not funny, I just- gods, I really shouldn't be laughing, it's just… you're an ANBU captain, and- and-…" Iruka snickered again and Kakashi shifted.

"Well, as long as you're laughing, care to tell me what these are for?" A bit irritated, Kakashi moved across the room to heft one of the worthless knickknacks. "I've thought about it but can't think of any use for them."

Iruka snorted even as his hand flew to his mouth, looking valiantly like he was trying to suppress even more laughter. "Kakashi-san! That's- that's- oh, dear… you just went to the market and bought all of these things? To emulate me?"

Kakashi was sincerely glad for the mask; his cheeks felt ridiculously hot and wasn't sure he had ever blushed so much in his life. "I… yes, is that wrong?"

"Well, it's not wrong, per se, but… oh. Okay, Kakashi-san. The things in my apartment were gifts from students."

"Oh! So that's why they looked so ugly!"

"Hey! They are not ugly! They are handmade and special and my students worked hard on them!"

Kakashi frowned. How had Iruka suddenly got angry? "Oh… I, ah…" He scratched awkwardly at his nose and the sensei let out a heavy, calming breath.

"Okay. I'm really sorry for laughing, it's just- I always imagined you'd be very… different. Not that I ever imagined anything about you before two days ago, but it's just- you're very… socially… inexperienced. And not that that's a bad thing!" The sensei blushed a bit and shook his head. "I'm sorry. Again. Okay- Kakashi-san. …I suppose I should start with why exactly you were trying to copy my home?"

Well, this was going to turn embarrassing quickly. "I… wanted my apartment to feel more like yours."

"Yes, you've already said that. But what do you think my apartment feels like?"

"Like a… home." He trailed off and whispered the last word, doing absolutely everything he could to avoid meeting the other man's eyes. Melting into the floor sounded like a wonderful idea.

After a few seconds, Iruka spoke, all traces of humor gone from his voice. "Oh… I see. Well, Kakashi-san, you made a few mistakes. First of all, all these pictures? They don't mean anything if you don't know who's in them."

Kakashi frowned, watching as the sensei moved about and collected the now worthless photos. "Ah. So- you know everyone in your pictures, then?"

Iruka laughed. "Yes, as a matter of fact, I do. And, all these things- if you just went out and bought them, well, they don't mean anything."

"Oh. So, I should get rid of them, too?"

Iruka nodded, then bit his lip. "Only if you want to."

Kakashi began to move about, collecting the ugly objects eagerly. "Yes; they're eye sores and I don't like them."

"Then why did you buy them?"

Kakashi paused in movements. "…Look, it's as you said. I am very socially inexperienced. You know what you're doing and I don't- I just wanted to come back here and have it feel a little more… um… good?" Oh, that was eloquent. His face burned and he gripped the trash in his arms tighter.

Iruka sighed. "All right- is there anything else you did? Because I'll feel bad knowing you wasted money because of me."

Kakashi glanced around his apartment, even though he already knew perfectly well what was there because of Iruka and what already been there before he'd met his fix. "Well, there's that blanket. And those other handrawn pictures on the walls. And those shelves. And I got a bunch of food for my kitchen- I noticed you had a lot, but I didn't, so… and I also got that shuriken blanket back in my bedroom. And I- …why are you looking at me like that?"

Iruka's eyes were wide in disbelief and his mouth was slightly open, and Kakashi moved rather uncomfortably under his scrutiny. The sensei smiled at him gently and shook his head, still seemed in almost shock. "You really went all out, didn't you? Oh, Kakashi-san… you can't make this place feel more like a home just by buying things."

"Why not?"

Iruka's eyes widened slightly at the generally curious question. "Because- well, all this stuff doesn't mean anything. I- oh, dear. I can't believe that the Copy Ninja is this- you're like one of my students."

"What is that supposed to mean?!"

Iruka shook his head quickly with a broad, nervous smile. "Nothing offensive, nothing offensive- it's just… it's hard to realize that the same person who bought all these pictures is one of the most famous ninja in the village."

"…I'm not just an ANBU, you know." Well, I wish I wasn't just an ANBU.

Iruka's eyes widened again, and he quickly shook his head, looking extremely apologetic. "Oh- I'm so sorry, Kakashi-san, I didn't mean to imply- …this really isn't what I wanted to do. I just wanted to talk to you and I ended up insulting you. I'm very sorry, Kakashi-san."

Kakashi shook his head slightly. "Don't be." I shouldn't be surprised- everyone sees me as just an ANBU. That's all I am.

Iruka shifted a bit awkwardly, then smiled brightly and clasped his hands together. "Well, after I just insulted you and your decorating style multiple times, and completely redecorated your apartment without waiting for your permission- I think I rather owe you an invitation to my home, don't you?"

Kakashi blinked at the other man's oddly happy and welcoming look. "I… uh… if you want?" He really had no idea what to say, and the sensei beamed at his reply and nodded.

"I do want. …Oh! The commander told me I probably would have to tell you that you're welcome to come there after missions. …I don't know how much good I can be to you or if I'm really helpful at all, but…" he trailed off awkwardly before smiling again, a gentle expression that somehow managed to instill hope into the lost ANBU who would rather be anything but. "For what it's worth, I hope I can be of some help to you, Kakashi-san."

Kakashi was still staring when the sensei bowed and left.