Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto and I am making no money writing fanfiction.

…..0…0…0…..

It took him a moment to recover, but as soon as he did, Kakashi followed the top hyperlink. This is the article he read:

Local Opens Home to Friend, Brutally Attacked

A local man, son of renowned prosecutor Tsunade Senju, is said to be in critical condition at the hospital tonight after having picked up an old friend on the side of the highway. Iruka Umino-Senju moved to the small town of Campbellton, New Brunswick, around ten years ago, from a foster home in Sherbrooke, Quebec. Early last week sources say Umino was driving home when he spotted an old friend, and former fellow foster child, Mizuki Otogakure, hitch-hiking on the side of the highway.

Friends describe Umino as warm, friendly and trusting. He is currently in the third year of his bachelor's degree at the local university and hopes to study education. According to friends of Umino's father, Otogakure grew up in many of the same homes as Umino and the two were very close before Umino's adoption. They also state that both he and Senju believe Otogakure was a bad influence on their son and were glad the pair parted ways shortly after bringing Umino home to Campbellton.

Police say that Otogakure never made it out of the foster system and instead went from group home to group home, continually causing trouble. At twenty-two, Otogakure already has a criminal record, including petty theft, armed robbery, possession of an unregistered firearm and assault charges. He spent his late teens bouncing in and out of juvenile hall for gang related activity.

It seems Umino was not aware of Otogakure's recent history and brought him home to try and help out an old friend who was down on his luck. Otogakure had been spending several months in Umino's home before tragedy struck. Late yesterday afternoon, Umino's younger brother (whose name cannot be released due to the privacy protection act for minors) was dismissed from a summer camp program early and made his way to Umino's apartment.

Neighbours report that shortly after the brother's arrival, yelling could be heard within the residence and when officers arrived on the scene, they found the youth trying to stem the bleeding from a large stab wound on Umino's back in the kitchen.

Witnesses say they heard Otogakure tell Umino that he was a traitor, and that he didn't deserve to be adopted by a good family. He is described as being frantic and raving. Accounts also indicate he was very agitated when Umino stepped between the attacker and his brother, presumably to protect the youth.

Umino sustained several life-threatening injuries, including multiple blows to the head and a deep laceration across his back from a kitchen knife. He is currently recovering in a private hospital suite, where his mother refuses any media coverage.

Otogakure fled the scene, but was apprehended later trying to leave town in a stolen vehicle. He is in custody tonight and is being charged with utterance of threats, involuntary confinement, aggravated assault, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and attempted murder.

The article was dated around seven years ago, Kakashi noted, while he had been out of town, working on his second last year in the education program at the University of Brandon. He was surprised he had never heard of the story before now, given the small-town nature of Campbellton, but given that he wasn't very social, coupled with being out of town and Iruka's mom minimizing press, he supposed it wasn't too much of a stretch that he didn't know.

Still, it gave him the chills to think of what Iruka and Naruto had lived through and he figured that explained all of the weird behavior. Of course Naruto wouldn't appreciate his brother bringing someone home that he picked up on the road—even someone they knew and he definitely understood why he wanted Kakashi to stay out of the albums and kitchen now. Kakashi was almost 100% sure that it was indeed Mizuki who was cut out of all the pictures and from what he could see of the man's mug shot above the article, it was no wonder Naruto hated his hair- it's silver-white tone was mere shades different than Mizuki's own blue-grey.

The situation also explained Iruka's unwillingness to have anyone with him in the kitchen and his previously inexplicable fascination with the kitchen knives. He was guarding them; either that or he was always ready to fight back. Kakashi sighed sadly. He didn't think he'd be able to sleep very well tonight and now he was feeling doubly guilty for asking Iruka about the missing friend in the pictures.

He closed the laptop and set it aside, slid down beneath the covers and closed his eyes, but Kakashi barely slept a wink all night.

…..0…0…0…..

As predicted, the snowfall and low visibility was severe enough that most of the town was closed the next day. Radio stations were obviously running, Kakashi noted, as he listened to his favourite station and waited for the rest of the house to wake up. Plough crews were also out and about, trying to clear the roads for emergency vehicles, if nothing else. Hospitals and dispatch centers were also running, as was the power plant, trying to keep wires from weighing down and freezing. Everything else was at a standstill, including schools (obviously), government offices, commercial centres and most private businesses (it could be assumed). There were also no forms of public transportation operating and there would be no mail delivery for the day. Even the local news station was operating with minimal staff and only putting out the weather forecast and emergency bulletins.

As he heard activity in the hall, he crept over to his door and peeked out. It seemed as though no one was awake, so he assumed the boys were still out cold, but the slightly open door to Iruka's room made Kakashi believe he was up and about, just being quiet about it. He went back into his own room and changed into yesterday's clothes, which were now dry from hanging on the radiator.

Kakashi doubted Iruka would take too kindly to finding him in the kitchen, but when he passed his host's room and heard the shower turn on, he figured he had time before Iruka made his way downstairs. Perhaps, he thought, I can start to replace some bad memories about grey-haired men in the kitchen with some good ones. He smiled to himself, and hurried downstairs.

…..0…0…0…..

When Iruka finished his shower, it was already about 9:00am, a full hour and a half later than he would usually be ready to go for the day. He stretched and smiled, noting how much good the extra hour of sleep and half an hour under the warm spray had done him. He was relaxed and ready for a good day off. He figured the triple from last night had helped a bit too, as it was enough to loosen him up while not enough to give him a hangover (thank goodness).

He opened his bedroom door fully to let out some of the steam from his in-suite bathroom and noted, smiling dryly to himself that the boys weren't up yet, and the math teacher's door was still closed (so he assumed Kakashi wasn't up either). He dressed in loose heather-grey sweatpants and a form-fitting white V-neck tee. He decided to blow dry his shoulder length hair to avoid a chill and sniffed at a forest green zip-up hoodie. Eh, still clean.

Slipping his feet into fluffy camo-patterned slippers, he headed downstairs.

…..0…0…0…..

Kakashi had already made coffee, bacon and eggs by the time he heard the water upstairs shut off (it was easy to tell if you stood by the kitchen sink—obviously the pipes ran right by). Figuring time was almost up; he quickly set about mixing up some instant pancake batter. Not as good as my homemade, but hey, I'm in a pinch.

He breathed a sigh of relief as he heard the high whirr of a blow dryer bing turned on, because he figured it would take Iruka at least another fifteen minutes to be ready and get down here, which gave Kakashi another solid ten minutes at worst.

He set the table for four and poured two cups of coffee, making sure to toss all dirty dishes in the dishwasher, keep the knife block where it was (he hadn't even taken one out) and finally, made sure he was in full view of the kitchen door for when his host got downstairs.

As he waited the last couple of minutes, he nervously shifted positions against the counter a few times and sipped absently at his coffee.

…..0…0…0…..

As Iruka made his way downstairs, he was puzzled by the smell of coffee and bacon. He knew his brother wasn't up or he would have heard him (goodness knows the boy was a klutz) and Kiba, though helpful, really couldn't make a pot of coffee to save his life. That left…. Kakashi. Oh, shit.

Iruka made his way down cautiously, knowing logically that everything was okay—his guest was probably just being helpful…. but still struggling with his irrational fear—how to handle being in the kitchen alone with the math teacher?

As he approached the kitchen, he could definitely see Kakashi through the doorway; he was leaning on the counter and sipping coffee, obviously watching the door for anyone who got up next. Forcing a smile, Iruka slowly entered the kitchen.

"Good morning." He nodded, skirting the math teacher, without actually turning his back on him and making for the coffee pot.

"Good morning," Kakashi smiled pleasantly over the rim of his cup. "I actually poured you one already."

Iruka looked at the table where Kakashi had indicated and indeed, noticed a navy blue mug of steaming coffee.

"Thanks." Iruka lifted the mug, smiling (albeit a little stiffly) at his houseguest and skirted him again, still keeping the front of his body turned towards the man at all times, and edging over (as inconspicuously as possible) to the fridge, where he poured cream into his cup.

Kakashi, noting right away the strained quality of Iruka's smile and definitely noticing the fact the man wouldn't turn his back on him at any cost, sighed sadly to himself and made his way over to the table, making sure to leave the corner most seat for his fretting host and taking the seat completely opposite, where Iruka would be able to see him easily the whole meal, without having to peer sideways.

Iruka relaxed visibly as Kakashi took a seat, noting with relief that he'd have a clear view of the silver-haired man from his preferred seat in the corner; the one where he could see the whole kitchen and both doors at once. He glanced towards the knife block but resisted the urge to pick one up, knowing it would be odd to bring a steak knife to eat bacon and eggs and telling himself he was just being irrational as he took deep, calming breaths.

Iruka slid into his seat and smiled, a little more genuinely, at his guest. "You managed to find everything to make breakfast."

Kakashi smiled again, putting down his cup and reaching for the plate of bacon. "You have a very organized kitchen. It wasn't too hard. I hope you don't mind?"

Iruka pulled a couple of fried eggs onto his plate from the platter on the table and returned it. "No, of course not. I hope you weren't waiting too long?"

Kakashi passed Iruka the bacon plate and reached for the pepper. "I'm an early riser. I like quiet mornings."

Iruka thanked him and then put the plate to the side when he was done dishing up. "Did you have a good rest?"

Kakashi paused mid-bite, then lowered his fork and smiled. "I definitely had an eye-opening night. I, uh, did some research on my computer and made a lot of progress into this really important interest of mine."

"Oh?" Iruka looked up from his plate. "I hope you were comfortable enough…. I know it's difficult not to sleep in your own bed sometimes."

"Oh, no, it's nothing like that. I was very comfortable, that quilt you have that looks homemade is very warm and comfy. I just…. found out some facts that were kind of difficult to swallow about this interest of mine."

Iruka looked up, concern starting to tinge his features. "Maybe it's not the best interest for you, then. Are you sure everything is all right?"

Kakashi smiled. "Believe me, I think this new interest is the best thing that's happened to me in a long while."

Iruka shrugged. "Anything I'd be interested in?"

Kakashi swallowed a chuckle, but allowed himself a smile, "I'm hoping so. But—"

He was interrupted by two teenage boys shuffling in. Naruto yawned and quickly glanced around the kitchen, his stance rigid for a moment until Iruka shook his head almost imperceptibly.

Kiba peeked out from behind his friend, shouted, "Breakfast!" and booked it to the table with no qualms (or manners to be seen) whatsoever.

Naruto took a seat, eying both men cautiously with a measured, "Smells good."

Iruka nodded. "Kakashi was kind enough to make breakfast this morning. Don't know how he managed so quietly, but hey—it's food and I'm not complaining." he finished with a smile.

Naruto nodded. "Thanks."

Kakashi smiled, hoping the boy would eventually warm up to him more and then he looked back at Iruka meaningfully. "Could we talk about this more later? I think it's important, but…." he trailed off, glancing surreptitiously at the boys.

Iruka caught his gaze and nodded, not sure what kind of interest Kakashi would need to hide from the teens, but answered, "Of course."

"Hey, can I have some coffee?"

Kakashi glanced at Iruka, who was looking at Kiba. "No. Your mom wouldn't like you to have the stuff. It's loaded with caffeine, you know."

"You drink it!" Kiba whined.

"No."

"Can I?" Iruka stared deadpan at his brother.

"No."

"But it's so early! I'm tired…" Naruto plunked his head onto the table.

"It's already quarter to ten. If it weren't a snow day, you'd have been at school for an hour already. Stop complaining, or maybe I'll make you go to bed earlier."

Naruto glared half-heartedly at his brother from the table, then sighed and pouted. "No fair."

"I'm not stupid enough to let the pair of you have coffee, especially if you're spending the day here. It'd be like giving chipmunks espresso—I'd never get you to calm down."

Kakashi snorted a laugh into his coffee, spilling it down the front of his shirt. "Damn!"

Iruka grabbed the nearest tea towel off the stove and tossed it to the silver-haired man. "It's all right. You can borrow one of mine again after breakfast."

Kakashi smiled. "Thanks. And by the way, there's pancakes keeping warm in the oven, guys."

Naruto and Kiba both perked up comically, earning a smile from Iruka as they clambered over to the oven.

"Who knew the math dude could cook!" Kiba exclaimed, piling his plate high.

"Oh, that's nothing," Kakashi interjected. "You should taste them when I make them from scratch."

Naruto turned to Kakashi and smiled a genuine smile. "I guess you learn something new everyday, even about people. Thanks for breakfast."

Kiba headed into the living room with a, "Don't spill on my couch!" from Iruka.

Naruto paused, looking back at the table, then towards his brother. Iruka smiled and waved him off. Kakashi noted Naruto glance at him with a doubtful 'are you sure?' plainly written on his face, but Iruka just smiled. "Don't you spill either."

Naruto nodded and with one last backward glance, left the kitchen. It made Kakashi inordinately happy that Iruka felt safe enough to be alone with him in the kitchen.

"Here," Iruka motioned to Kakashi, "Let's go get you a clean –"

The brunet was interrupted by the chime of the doorbell.

He made a face, clearly puzzled, "What the? Who'd be out in this weather?" but he made his way to the front door nonetheless, Kakashi following behind like a puppy.

As Iruka opened the door, Kakashi stepped back a bit so as not to be in the way. As the door opened, a tiny avalanche of snow poured in the poor from where it was piled at least knee high. A man entirely bundled up from head to toe stumbled in and Iruka caught him by the arm. The man pushed the door closed behind himself and stomped some of the snow from his feet.

"Sorry, Ruka," Kakashi heard the man say, though it was muffled by his layers of winter clothing.

Iruka regarded the snow on the floor for a second, then smiled kindly at the man, "No problem, Suma. What brings you over here?"

The man began to unwrap his head from scarf and recognition dawned on Kakashi—this was the cousin from the albums, and indeed—he was a Sarutobi as Kakashi had surmised last night—he was almost a spitting image of his parents' former business partner, Hiruzen. Kakashi also remembered Iruka mentioning as they pulled up last night that one of his uncle's sons lived in one of the two other townhouses (which made the genius feel a bit dumb for not putting two and two together last night, but now it was right in front of him and he wanted to face palm), which would explain how the man had gotten here—it was only a few feet from the yard over.

"We've run out of pickles, Ruka, and you know how Kurenai has been in this trimester. She wants pickles and I'm not braving the roads for a damn jar of pickles, no matter how much I love her, so we made a deal. I told her I'd check next door with Tsume and then over here with you. Tsume didn't have any, so please, PLEASE tell me you have pickles."

Iruka laughed heartily and thumped his cousin on the back. "Come on in, Asuma. I'll go get them. I've had extra stuff on hand since you told me you were expecting. Goodness knows Kurenai and I couldn't count on you for organization! Will you stay for a cup of coffee? Sounds like you and Kurenai could use a little break from each other."

Asuma let a small chuckle escape as he sighed and Iruka disappeared back down the hall. "I resent that, cuz…. But damn, you're a lifesaver!"

As Kakashi moved to follow Iruka back into the kitchen, Asuma finally noticed him. "Oi! Who're you? Ruka didn't mention a new guy."

"New guy?" Kakashi turned slowly back towards Asuma, hoping he'd heard (and understood) him right.

"Yeah," Asuma continued to take off his winter gear, hanging his coat in the closet, "new guy. Not too bright, are you?"

"I'm actually a gen—"

Iruka appeared again at Kakashi's elbow, unintentionally interrupting him, brandishing a jar of pickles.

"I've got them, Suma. Oh and if you want—" he looked from one to the other, obviously noting some tension, "Ooops, sorry. I forgot to introduce you."

Iruka put the jar on the hall table and smiled, gesturing between the two. "Kakashi, this is my cousin, Asuma. He lives in the townhouse two doors down with his wife Kurenai. Asuma, this is Kakashi Hatake, Naruto's math teacher."

Asuma frowned. "Hatake," he mumbled, "Hatake…."

Kakashi interrupted his thoughts. "We haven't seen each other since I was about seven, but we have met. My name sounds familiar because my parents used to work with your father. Your father is Hiruzen, right?"

Asuma's head snapped up. "That's right! The scrawny kid with the pug. Wow, it's been a really long time, man. So, you're a math teacher now, huh? Wouldn't ave pegged you for it. Not my cousin's new boyfriend…. Sorry about the confusion. He doesn't usually bring new guys home, so I was little excited that maybe he was out of his rut."

Kakashi, though slightly offended about the scrawny remark (he was lithe, thank you very much, not scrawny), was far more interested in Iruka's reaction than anything. As he watched, the brunet went from his natural tan hue to blanched, then red as a tomato in under ten seconds.

"Asuma!" said cousin turned to Iruka, took in his tense posture and red face and paled slightly himself.

"He didn't know? Sorry, cuz, I just assumed…. I mean he's in your house and everything, so…." Asuma trailed off, obviously uncomfortable about accidentally outing his cousin in front of company.

Iruka turned ever so slowly to face Kakashi and breathed out slowly, "Sorry if it makes you uncomfortable. I—"

Kakashi interrupted quickly, "Not at all."

What he really wanted to do was tell Iruka that of course he understood completely and that it was a relief, actually, since he was definitely falling for him, but it seemed rather contrived to admit he was gay right then, so he kept his mouth shut.

Asuma cleared his throat nervously. "Is it still okay if I stay for a cuppa?"

Iruka glared at him sternly for a moment, then rolled his eyes and gestured to the living room. Kakashi wanted to give Iruka plenty of time to cool down and get comfortable again, so he opted to follow Asuma into the living room rather than tag along to the kitchen.

After taking opposite ends of the couch, Asuma turned his head to look at Kakashi. "So, what you said about being cool with my cousin's orientation…. You better have meant it. I don't know why you're here, exactly—you teachers do a lot of weird meetings and think-tank crap, but if you—"

Kakashi cut him off, "If I wasn't okay with it, it'd be like the pot calling the kettle black."

He reclined, leaning his head back into the cushions to wait for it, that dawning moment of realization and almost closing his eyes, barely slitting them to watch Asuma's reaction without the man knowing. One, two, and—there it is.

Asuma looked up, "You're?"

Kakashi sat back up. "He doesn't know either."

"Oh."

"And you want to—"

"Keep it that way." Kakashi turned to watch as Iruka entered with a tray. He made eye contact with Asuma before adding, "For now."

Asuma frowned, but nodded.

"Okay," Iruka set the tray down and plopped into the chair nearest the door, which, Kakashi noted happily, was also the one closest to himself. "So, we've already had coffee this morning, so I brought tea as well."

Asuma eyed the tray. "Have more company, Ruka?"

"Oh," Iruka looked at the mugs, "They're in case the boys come down. Naruto's over and so's Kiba."

Asuma laughed. "Those two are going to eat you out of house and home one day, cuz."

Iruka smiled, handing Kakashi a mug and taking one himself as Asuma measured a teaspoon of sugar into his cup. "I don't mind. Having the company is better than always being alone. They're good kids," he added, pouring himself a cup of tea.

Iruka tipped the carafe at Kakashi, silently asking and Kakashi smiled. "Yes, please."

Iruka poured the tea into his guest's cup and then turned back to Asuma. "So, you know Kakashi?"

Asuma nodded, "Apparently I do. Like he said, we haven't seen each other in a long time. Our parents worked together, so they kind of just plopped us together for play dates when they were busy. It was before your time, Ruka."

Iruka chuckled. "Obviously, or maybe Kakashi and I would have spent less of the last how many years fighting so much. I can't even remember now…. Do you know?" He turned to the silver-haired man with a smile.

Kakashi snorted. "Ever since your stuck-up butt graduated, Umino. You've been a right pain in my ass since…. And probably your principal's too." He poked Iruka in the side teasingly with the spoon.

Iruka shoved the utensil away good-naturedly.

Asuma's head popped up. "Fighting?"

Kakashi smiled at Iruka, watching as the brunet fixed his tea, then answered, "Mmhm. As Iruka said, I'm Naruto's math teacher and if you're their cousin, you ought to know how much Naruto likes school. Iruka and I…. Well, let's just say that we haven't always seen eye to eye about everything concerning your younger cousin's education."

Asuma's jaw almost dropped. "You're that teacher?"

Kakashi eyed him, puzzled. "That teacher?" he repeated.

Asuma smiled, "Oh, boy, you sure know how to rile Ruka up, Hatake. He'd come home from meetings with you in a complete tizzy. Storming about, slamming things and muttering the whole time about a 'lazy, no-good, prick,' or a 'right know-it-all bastard' who 'couldn't teach an elephant to trumpet,' or something along those lines, eh, cuz?"

Iruka, Kakashi noticed as Asuma winked at him, had turned a violent, lobster-shade of red and was hiding his face in his cup as he took a long swallow. Kakashi grinned.

"Why, Iruka. I'm offended." He grabbed at his chest in mock hurt and laughed as he dodged the pillow lobbed at him.

"Oh, shut up." Iruka turned away stubbornly.

"I did sort of egg him on, though," Kakashi admitted, settling the tossed pillow in the crook of his arm comfortably as he nodded towards Asuma.

"Sort of!?" Iruka squawked indignantly.

"Yes," Kakashi smiled serenely, "sort of."

Iruka snorted and crossed his arms. "Sort of, my ass. You're a brat and a rabble-rouser and you know it. And do you know what I think? I think you enjoyed pissing me off."

Kakashi leaned back and laughed. "Hm. Maybe. But I'd say I've met my match in you, no?"

Missing the double-entendre, Iruka answered snappishly, "I can take you any day."

Asuma, however, did catch the meaning and leaned back to watch their interaction with new interest.

"Oh, really?" Kakashi leaned forward.

Iruka matched him, so their faces were only about four inches apart. "Really."

"I'd like to see that." Kakashi smiled in satisfaction and leaned back into the cushions. "And by the way, I very much enjoyed pissing you off."

Iruka gaped at him for a few seconds, his mouth opening and closing like a fish. "Well!"

He got up and grabbed some of the coffee things to clear away, disappearing into the kitchen in a huff.

Kakashi chuckled to himself, but came back to his senses when Asuma cleared his throat.

"Aaaaand…. from that little show, I assume you intend to pursue my cousin?"

Kakashi cracked one eye open and peered at Asuma sideways.

"You assume correctly." He folded his hands over his stomach.

Asuma pondered him for a minute, then, "Do you know much about him?"

Kakashi sat up. "I know enough."

"Do you really?" Kakashi didn't miss the pointed look Asuma gave his hair.

"You're thinking about Mizuki." Asuma's eyes widened in shock.

"You know about him?"

"I'm not the most socially adept person, but I was interested in Iruka so naturally, I wanted to know more about him. Curiously, there seemed to be a person missing from his photo albums, so I did a little research. Your cousin is the son of a famous author and a local politician, remember, so it wasn't too hard to dig up local news articles."

Asuma leaned forward. "But how much do you really know?"

Kakashi sighed. "Look, I know you're just trying to protect your cousin, but I promise, I'm not going to do anything to hurt him. I can't really control the fact that my hair greyed prematurely." He was starting to get fed up with this whole hair issue and it showed in his voice.

Asuma wouldn't back down though. "Maybe not intentionally, you won't. I'm not saying you're a bad guy. Do you know the whole story though?"

Kakashi slumped in his seat. "Are you going to tell me, or let me make a fool of myself?"

Asuma smiled. "Like I said, I don't think you're a bad guy. And believe me, I'd love to see my cousin settle down happily…. He's just—well, he's been through a lot."

Kakashi nodded. "I'll be careful."

Asuma nodded and reached over to pat him on the arm. "So, Mizuki was actually—"

As Kakashi leaned forward eagerly to learn more, Asuma stopped abruptly because Iruka came back in the room, tea towel draped over one arm and hands dripping.

"I see you two are getting along," he noted dryly.

Asuma smiled and changed the subject quickly. "I think I'll just grab those pickles, Ruka, and head out. I've been imposing long enough, I wouldn't want to leave Kurenai too long."

As he stood, Iruka turned towards the hall to make his way to the door, his cousin and Kakashi both following. As Iruka packed the pickles into a bag, he turned to Asuma, "I also have some chocolate chip cookies I baked yesterday and an extra box of mint ripple ice-cream that was on sale if you want it, just in case."

Asuma nodded gratefully, "I'm sure Kurenai would appreciate it," and Iruka headed back into the kitchen to retrieve said items.

"So, if you don't mind my asking," Asuma pulled his coat back out of the closet and began putting it on, "how did you end up staying here? If you never got along that well, what made you decide to spend a snow day together?"

Kakashi smiled. "Actually, it was an accident. Not that I'm complaining, mind you. It probably would have taken me ages to realize we'd be good together without this in-my-face wakeup call, but…."

Asuma laughed and reached for his scarf as Kakashi continued, "I was kind of stranded in the parking lot because I wasn't ready for the storm and Iruka picked me up off the side of the road and brought me home." he scratched the back of his neck self-consciously.

Asuma's laughter stopped immediately and Kakashi noticed him pale considerably. "He what?"

At that, Kakashi decided, very inopportune moment…. (he had wanted to prove to Asuma that he did too know enough—enough to realize that being picked up on the road like Mizuki was not making anyone too happy with him), Iruka came back in with the rest of Kurenai's treats and handed the bag to his cousin, obviously missing the tension between the two men in the hall.

"Just call if you need anything else and I'll waddle my way over through the snow so Kurenai isn't alone," Iruka reached over and hugged his cousin. "I'll see you later, all right?"

"Right." Asuma reached for the door handle and waited until Iruka turned back to go finish the dishes, then he reached for Kakashi's hand, saying loud enough for Iruka to catch, "It was good seeing you again, Hatake."

Then he pulled the math teacher closer and whispered, "He's not going to like it, but if you're serious about this, you need to talk to Naruto and you need to be careful."

Kakashi nodded and stared at the door in puzzlement for a few minutes after Asuma had vanished into the snow.