Betas: ashcat (here at fanfiction[dot]net ) and txilar (at livejournal[dot]com).

AN: Thank you very much for your awesome comments and critique. I'm so grateful that you take the time to read and leave a response.

Chapter 9: The Measure of Confession

Every man has his secret sorrows which the world knows not; and often times we call a man cold when he is only sad.
~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Iruka went through the next day or so torn between two states. The first state consisted of wanting to march up to Kakashi and demand this so-called 'Talk'. The second state was not so brave: he was actually hiding from the man.

Iruka was honestly a little shocked at himself. He was a fairly strong shinobi, a teacher and a parent-to-be, but that didn't stop him from retreating into his room more often than not, with only Guruko for company. For his part, Kakashi seemed perfectly calm as he came and went from the family compound, usually with Yamato in tow. He didn't stay, but took on most of the day-shifts while the ANBU rotated at nights. He also appeared to be expectant, as if he was waiting on something from Iruka.

Was he waiting for Iruka to explode at him, to yell at him for leaving? In all honesty, Iruka did indeed feel a deep sense of disgruntlement at him, at the sting of his words when they had parted on those terrible terms; and he was still quite upset at the fact that Kakashi had left. It fairly left him trembling in anger at the thought of it, and he wondered if he could even form the words to shout.

There was one moment that gave him weighty pause in the midst of all his shouting-contemplation, however. The morning after the amulet had appeared his hand, he went to the kitchen without it. Guruko, apparently Kakashi's newly appointed main emissary, met him at the doorway and gave him a surprised, almost accusing look.

"You're not wearing it!" he barked and Iruka had blinked down at him. "The good-luck thing that the boss bought for the pup! The baby, sorry."

Iruka's gaze tracked over to where Kakashi was standing at the stove, dressed simply in his black top without the flak-jacket. The line of his back was very rigid; when he turned to look at Iruka, there was an odd expression that was quickly buried, as if it was stuffed hurriedly underneath his ever-present mask.

"My mother wore one when she was having me," Kakashi offered in a very low voice, stirring the chopsticks around in the pot without even looking. "At least, that's what I was told. It's just a charm. You don't have to wear it if you don't want to."

With that, he turned back to his cooking.

"It's not that I don't want to," Iruka started testily, and then sighed. He suddenly felt very tired even though he had just awoken; he rubbed his belly and stifled a belch. "I left it near the bed, I--"

"I'll go get it!" Guruko offered and dashed off. Yamato was sipping tea in the corner, appearing as if he wanted to leave as well.

Iruka took a very deep, bracing breath. "I thought you wanted to talk," he said bravely, sitting down at his normal space at the table. Now, Yamato was considering the closest wall, as if calculating the quickest way to melt through it.

Kakashi said, "I do," and turned to serve out some of the steaming meal into waiting bowls; Iruka tilted his head, trying to properly see the side of Kakashi's face. He raised his eyebrows, for it appeared that Kakashi was clenching his jaw.

Iruka frowned; Kakashi was deeply unsettled, and actually exhibiting it. He was about to say something when Guruko came back with the cloth amulet clenched delicately between his teeth and deposited it in Iruka's lap.

"Thanks, Guruko," Iruka said; however, before he could reach for it, Kakashi was putting a bowl in front of him and plucking up the omamori. Quickly, he placed the string upon which it was hung around Iruka's neck, and tucked the charm into the neat folds of the yukata that Iruka had carefully wrapped around himself. Iruka looked up, surprised, but Kakashi's face was in shadow.

On impulse, he caught Kakashi's hand in his. The skin on Kakashi's fingers were rough, scarred; they felt dry and warm, and Iruka felt the sudden urge to place a gentle kiss against them.

"Thank you," he said hoarsely, and released Kakashi's fingers hurriedly, staring at the food beside them in a very intent manner. Yamato was now eating with a single-minded focus, his slurps loud in the still kitchen.

"I..." Kakashi started and straightened up. "Well. Yes," he finished awkwardly and spun away, lanky and tall, stalking over to Yamato. "Ready?"

"Yes," Yamato said with no little relief; Iruka felt a flush of embarrassment, suddenly aware of poor Yamato being the unwilling observer to their strained interaction. Yet, he was a little grateful for Yamato's presence. He was a reasonable buffer, actually. "You wanted to inspect the chakra-wards at the eastern border?"

"They just need a little patching in that area, I think. Excuse us," Kakashi said politely as they exited, leaving Iruka to pick at his food and think. He thought when he inspected the little tomato sprouts. He thought when he pored over the boxes of baby paraphernalia that Kurenai had sent with the ANBU recently.

He thought when he snuggled in bed, at about the same time that Kakashi and Yamato were changing shifts with the ANBU. He felt the wards shiver and settle like a huge blanket over the entirety of the compound, years of a family heritage woven into the very fabric of the building and its grounds. He felt... wonderfully safe; not as desperately lonely as before.

After all that thinking, Iruka admitted to himself with stark self-honesty that... that he had hurt Kakashi very deeply. It had been an almost monumental thought for Iruka to wrap his mind around and he had actually sat up in bed, his brow furrowed in deep concentration; it was just... Kakashi was such a powerful, clever and famous person. In many parts of their world, his name preceded him; it was sometimes enough to win a battle before it had even begun. Therefore, for Iruka to be able to impact him like that... why, it was simply impossible, wasn't it?

Is it? he had thought, pulling his bottom lip between his teeth and gnawing on it. Did he leave me because he was disgusted... or because he was more hurt than he let on, and didn't know what to do with it?

Iruka had experience in dealing with loss and betrayal. He had spent many a session in Sandaime's office, their quiet conversations spanning such topics as the loss of his parents, the strange suspicions he'd buried deep down about Mizuki, his anger at a broken friendship that went deeper than a wound in his back. Iruka was an emotional person, he accepted that about himself. But who did powerful jōnin turn to when they were feeling insecure or sad? Or... when they were deeply involved with someone who didn't share all of who they were?

At that point of his contemplation, Iruka had fetched a deep sigh and tried to go to sleep.

At least, he had found some wry amusement with Natsu's obvious confusion over Kakashi and Iruka's apparent coolness towards each other. When Natsu and Fuyu had come on-shift the second evening after Kakashi's return, he had given Kakashi the same brisk nod he had given Iruka when the ANBU detail had been assigned in the Hokage's office; it warmed Iruka to know that Naruto held Kakashi at the same familial esteem at which he held Iruka. Then, when Kakashi had nodded in return and sauntered out the gates with Yamato, Natsu had stared after him, then swung around to face Iruka. His concern radiated from underneath his ANBU gear, like warmth from an oven. Fuyu simply leaned against the wall near the kitchen door, arms folded across his chest.

"Kakashi-sempai is not staying?" Natsu had asked politely, but his gloved fingers were twitching. Iruka smiled briefly at this evidence of Naruto's ebullience; he found it hard to keep still, sometimes.

"No," Iruka had answered and at that it seemed that Natsu's porcelain mask frowned. "He's returning to his jōnin apartment. He'll relieve you in the morning."

"Why?" Natsu demanded, suddenly more Naruto than ANBU; out of the corner of his eye, Iruka saw Fuyu straighten up from his casual lounge. At the increased level of Natsu's voice, the chakra-wards became very quiet and gave off a menacing air. They pressed up against Iruka's sandals, sending out tendrils to wrap lovingly around his ankle. They seemed to be more demonstrative since Kakashi's return, sometimes even wrapping Iruka in a comforting, almost invisible hug before smoothing out over the walls again.

"Maybe Kakashi doesn't want to be in the way right now," Fuyu suggested even as the chakra-wards bristled at Natsu, whose head snapped around to gaze at his ANBU partner. "Give Iruka-sensei a little breathing space."

Natsu's fingers twitched and clenched. "Doesn't he want to be with Iruka-sensei?"

"I don't know," Fuyu answered very calmly, although there was a hard edge to his voice. "I don't read minds. It's between Kakashi and Iruka. It's their business, we're just here to protect Iruka-sensei and the baby."

Natsu stared at Fuyu for a very long time, so much so that Iruka wondered if there was indeed some mind-reading going on, and they were communicating on a level that was just beyond Iruka's comprehension.

"Of course," Natsu finally said in a bracing manner and the wards stopped their version of glaring at him. "You're right. And we'll do our best. Come on, Fuyu, let's check the perimeter," and he was off, leaping out of the courtyard onto the roof. Fuyu sent Iruka a very bland gaze; it was funny how Natu's mask seemed so personable and Fuyu's was a perfect impenetrable shield.

Suddenly, Iruka realized that Fuyu and Natsu were paired for Natsu's sake as much as Fuyu's. While Natsu was obviously with him as a safeguard, both for their village and for Fuyu's promise to be a dedicated Konoha shinobi, Fuyu was there to reign Natsu in, to help keep the overly bright personality safely locked behind the mask. Of course, it was a very tall order to fill, because Naruto was almost too much, but Iruka could see that he worked very hard to be a competent ANBU... and Fuyu obviously helped with that. If that meant he had to be impersonal at times, then who better than Fuyu to show him how? It made Iruka a little sad and worried over how Naruto dealt with it, when he emerged from behind the porcelain wall, but he hoped that Sasuke was there for him as well.

Fuyu had jerked his chin at Iruka, before following after Naruto. The wards had split themselves in half, Iruka felt it; some had gone after the ANBU to help in the perimeter check, while the rest had slunk along the walls in Iruka's wake as he padded back to his room to go through some reading.

*

The wards were now chittering eagerly at him for some reason, but Iruka waved a lazy hand at them and concentrated at the history book he was reading. Fuyu and Natsu had left a few moments ago, and Kakashi and Yamato were here again, walking in the back yard; but they had not interrupted Iruka as yet.

"What?" Iruka asked absently and turned a page. The chakra-wards swirled along the walls, excited. They didn't have that urgent feel of an unwanted intruder and Iruka felt it was alright to ignore them for now. The wards finally subsided as if they realized that Iruka wasn't going to respond right now, and actually gave off sullen flashes in the corners of the ceiling and walls, apparently put out that Iruka wasn't paying them any attention.

Iruka set down his book and was about to try placate the sulky layers of chakra when they flared to life again, this time with the warning pulses that meant someone strange was waiting at the front of the compound. Iruka got to his feet and went to his door, pulling it open to squint at the bright sunshine in the courtyard. He slipped on his sandals and hurried around the wide corridor to the tall gates; he pulled up short when Kakashi suddenly puffed into view right in front of the entry, turning his head to give Iruka a quick, warning glance.

"I'll get it," he said in a low tone and stuck his hands in his pockets, watching as the gates swung open. The wards shimmered in front of the widening space and Iruka frowned when he saw Toshiaki standing there. Toshiaki was allowed, the wards knew that very well. Why were they acting in such a manner?

The answer became apparent when the gates pulled apart even further to reveal Toshiaki's companion, who was not the Hokage. Instead, Tsunade had sent her protégée.

"Hey, Iruka-sensei," Sakura said with a wide, uncertain smile, waving quickly. Iruka blinked at her and glanced at Kakashi, a bit unsettled to find the other man looking back at him in a rather intent manner.

"The Godaime is attending a Kage summit," Toshiaki explained, clutching the worn strap of his medical satchel tightly. "She deemed it important that Sakura be included on your team of medical personnel, Iruka. In case anything happens, we need all the help we can get, and Sakura has proven to be an excellent student in the past."

"Oh," Iruka breathed out and he smiled at the self-conscious colouring of Sakura's cheeks. "I have a team?" he joked lightly, trying to shake off his surprise. "What an honour to be attended to by all these talented shinobi!"

Kakashi made a small, rough noise, but said nothing.

"I'll do my best, Iruka-sensei," Sakura said with a smile, shifting her weight from one coltish leg to the other. "And I won't tell a soul. Not about the baby or... or you," she finished with a determined nod. Iruka took in the earnest expression on her face, feeling a sense of shame settle on his chest. He had hidden who he really was from those who cared for him and yet they still treated him with love and respect.

"She can't tell a soul, anyway," Toshiaki cut in through Iruka's self-beration, sounding a little wry. "None of us can, we've been sealed by the Hokage herself. A really strong seal, too, makes my tongue all itchy," he complained and grinned at Iruka's quick laughter.

"Well, in that case..." Iruka nodded in Kakashi's direction without looking him in the face. He wasn't sure if he could stand that drilling stare. "Please tell the wards to allow Sakura in."

Kakashi placed his hand on the closest surface and waited for a long beat. He removed his hand and stuck it back in his pocket. "The chakra-wards aren't in the mood to obey me right now," he said and Iruka gaped at him. It was Kakashi's turn to not look Iruka in the eye, but Iruka saw the slight movement of his cheek. Was Kakashi smiling? The thought of Kakashi's mouth moving in one of his wide, sly grins made Iruka's pulse race.

Iruka stepped over to him, putting his hand right where Kakashi's had been. The wards instantly pressed against his palm, happy and warm.

"Why don't you do what Kakashi-san asks?" he grumbled at then and made the mistake of looking up; Kakashi was standing far too close to him all of a sudden, his hair sticking up in its usual wild manner, half propped up by his tilted forehead protector. Iruka knew that once the metal-and-cloth band was removed, Kakashi's hair would fall more naturally around his face, and it was longer than most people thought it was. The sunlight made his hair seem even paler, glinting off a few strands that were more ash-blond than the general silver tone.

Iruka parted his lips and Kakashi's gaze flickered to his mouth for just a split second, so fast that he wasn't sure that Kakashi's eyes had moved at all.

"The wards are waiting," Kakashi murmured and Iruka licked his lips, feeling his cheeks grow warm.

"Please allow Sakura in," he said faintly; how strange: just a few moments ago, he couldn't bring himself to look at Kakashi, and now he was staring as if he was seeing the man for the first time. "And please remember that she is allowed in from here on out."

The wards bubbled under his palm and then the barrier sizzled out from between the tall timber panels of the gates, reforming behind Sakura and Toshiaki as soon as they were properly inside. With an effort, Iruka turned away from Kakashi and held out his arms in welcome; smiling, Sakura came forward and held onto his hands, gripping his fingers tightly.

"We were told you're on a long mission," she said, eyes shining. "It's so nice to see you, Iruka-sensei."

"It's such a pleasure to see you," Iruka told her and smiled as she glanced at his stomach, her wonderment very apparent. He released her hands and patted the roundness of his belly with both hands. He didn't feel too uncomfortable now to have someone staring at the current weirdness of his body; he actually felt... proud. "I look strange, don't I?"

"A little," she admitted, and then she clapped her hands and clasped them together in an action that spoke more of 'giddy teenaged girl' than 'competent medi-nin'. It was endearing and Iruka's smile grew even wider. "A baby, Iruka-sensei. How incredible!" She suddenly whirled on Kakashi, her hand still clasped in that expression of amazement. "Kakashi-sensei, I've missed you, too! Isn't this absolutely unbelievable?"

"Yes," Kakashi answered instantly, still staring right at Iruka. "It's amazing that he's going through all this."

Stunned, Iruka could only mutter awkwardly, "It's... it's not like it's torture, or anything."

"Come on," Toshiaki said, striking out for Iruka's rooms. "I must show Sakura the proper methods for checking yours and the baby's chakra, Iruka. And are you taking your vitamins? You simply must remember, Iruka, because they've been formulated to balance the--"

Toshiaki's lecturing voice faded away as he opened Iruka's door and toed off his sandals, stepping in. Sakura grinned and followed him. Iruka turned to go after them and undergo his check-up, but the sound of Kakashi calling his name stopped him in his tracks. The baby wriggled and Iruka made a face even as he turned around once more.

"When you're finished," Kakashi said, his gaze now fixed on the stone fountain in the middle of the courtyard. "That is, if you want..."

"What is it?" Iruka asked softly, when Kakashi seemed at an uncharacteristic loss for words.

"There's something out back for you," Kakashi said, tone curt, and stalked off. Iruka watched him go with wide eyes, moving only when Sakura stuck her head back out of his room and said, "Iruka-sensei?"

"Coming," he answered and hurried off.

*

"So this is what you were harassing me about, earlier," Iruka scolded the chakra-wards in a fond manner as he stood at the end of the corridor that led out to the back of the property. The wards twirled around him dizzily and ruffled his hair. Iruka shook his head and stared down the gentle green slope to where Kakashi and Yamato were sitting underneath a tree, talking quietly. Guruko and a few other ninken were at Kakashi's side, gazing at the two men as they conversed.

Off to one side, near to where the slope of the land evened out, a strange wooden structure stood tall, something that had not been on the property up to yesterday. It had a curved shape that diminished in height, going from a wide, arched entry towards a low back, giving the impression of a small, cozy cave. Yet, even more intriguing than this new dome was what was within it: a fairly large round pool.

Guruko noticed Iruka's presence and raced up to him, tongue lolling out of his mouth. "Iruka-sensei! It's for you! Do you like it?"

"I do, very much," Iruka answered quite honestly and Guruko chased his own tail in sheer glee. "Who made it?"

"Tenzo did," Kakashi said, having walked up with the rest of his dogs. Confused for a moment, Iruka remembered: 'Tenzo' was another name that Kakashi sometimes used for Yamato, who had made his approach as well.

"It was Kakashi's idea," Yamato said and grinned. "And he was the one that made the pool part, I just created the Wood Locking Wall. He thought you might like to have a little swim now and again."

At this, the part of Iruka that was assigned as Blue preened; Iruka tried to quash it, but he couldn't stop the strong sense of pleasure that his mate had made something so nice for him. He felt dismay mixed in with that contentment, but he was mostly resigned; Blue would always be dedicated to Silver, no matter what. Iruka would just have to live with it, even if he and Kakashi could never be that close again.

Kakashi said, "Want to give it a try?"

"Oh yes," Iruka answered immediately, and smiled as the dogs yipped in a canine version of laughter. He took a step towards the covered pool and then stopped, saying, "I'll need to go back for a towel."

"I'll fetch it," Kakashi offered. "Go on. You can ask the wards to shield you, they'll do that. Apparently, they like you very much." Kakashi's mouth made a funny little twist under his mask, and Iruka couldn't help the responding grin. Kakashi stopped smiling immediately and spun away, leaving a very perplexed Iruka in his wake as he practically ran off towards the corridor.

"I'll go take care of some lunch," Yamato said and herded Kakashi's dogs after him. Iruka sighed and set off for his new pool, walking carefully down the slight slope.

When he got close to it, he peered at the curved wood, noticing that they were square pillars that were interlocked. He even touched the smooth surface and sniffed it, revelling in the warm woodsy scent. Then, he entered and stood near the pool, gazing at the gently lapping water. The water was clear, and the sides and floor of the pool seemed to be made of some smooth blue material; how Kakashi had gotten it to be that way was an intriguing mystery. The floor itself sloped down so that the pool seemed fairly deep at the low end of his wooden cave.

Iruka began to undo the sash of his yukata, then he hesitated. "Um," he called out; did the chakra-wards respond to a name? "Wards?"

They hummed curiously at the entrance to the arched wooden structure and Iruka turned to them.

"Could you be opaque? So that no one can see in while I'm swimming?"

They could; after a few beats, in which the wards appeared to consider his request, they began to film over, starting at the bottom and finishing at the top, fitting neatly to the entrance of the wooden structure as if they were a curtain made of lush silk. However, light still entered the wooden cave, but it was filtered through the currently hazy layers of the chakra-wards. Iruka noted the blurred colours of the foliage and sky outside and nodded.

"Thank you," he said and the chakra-wards shimmered in response. Iruka went back to removing his sash and slowly undid his yukata; there was a squat wooden table that seemed as if it was growing out of the ground and he placed his folded clothing on it. He gazed down at his own nipples and the dark line that bisected the stretched skin over his stomach. He bent a little ways forward, trying to catch sight of his own cock, but it was almost impossible. Reaching down, he petted the poor abandoned thing before slipping off his sandals and making his way to where a few wide steps led into the water.

Too bad he couldn't take a quick shower before going into the pool, but he had bathed just a few hours ago; hopefully, that was alright. He stuck one toe in and was surprised to find that the water was very warm. What did Kakashi do, blow a huge katon over the whole pool before Iruka had come out to see it?

He stepped in fully and descended with quick care; at this end, the water only came up to his waist. He splashed the water childishly and then chuckled, stooping to let the water go up to his shoulders before straightening again.

Oh, bliss; he was so supported by the water and the low-grade discomfort in his hips and back faded away. He contented himself with walking along the side, as far as he could before the level of the water passed his collarbone before going back to the shallow end. Iruka tried floating, but tumbled over in the water and stood up to splutter out the water that got up into his nose while laughing at the same time. His hair, which he had caught up at the nape of his neck was now pulling loose from the hair-tie. Iruka tugged it all the way out, tossed it in the direction of his folded yukata and ducked his head in the water, beside himself with delight.

"Iruka," Kakashi called from the other side of the frosted wards when Iruka raised his head. "I have your towel."

"Oh! Well, come in, then," Iruka said, hoping the rippling water would help to hide his nudity. He could see the dark outline of Kakashi's form move forward, then stop.

"You'll have to tell the wards to let me in," Kakashi told him dryly and Iruka did so. Only a small section went clear and parted to let Kakashi in; he stepped in, a large fluffy towel tucked under one arm and gazed over his shoulder as the curtain of chakra-wards took on their new opaque characteristic again. "If I didn't know better, I'd say you'd turned the wards against me."

"I wouldn't do that," Iruka protested.

"I know." Kakashi stepped over to the table and placed the towel on it before turning back to Iruka. "They like you, though."

Iruka smiled a little. "I'm grateful that they do. Why do you think they act that way towards me?"

Kakashi shrugged and leaned against the side of the wooden structure, not looking at Iruka directly. It was probably a difficult thing to pull off since the walls were so curved, but Kakashi managed. He cleared his throat and said, "You like the pool," in a very flat tone.

"I love it, thank you," Iruka answered, gathering his hair in one hand and tossing it behind his shoulder.

Kakashi shrugged again. He pushed off from the wall and bent down, removing his sandals and rolling up the hem of his trousers until they were up past his knees. Iruka eyed the pale expanse of his calves, blushing when he realized Kakashi had observed his inspection. He wondered if Kakashi remembered how Iruka had teased him about his long legs, which were perfect for wrapping around Iruka's waist, or strong enough to support them both as Kakashi took him against a wall.

He averted his gaze, hoping Kakashi didn't see the heat in his eyes and that his body didn't see it fit to react right now to those sensual memories. It was just that he hadn't had sex in such a long while, and here was the object of his strongest desires sitting down at the edge of the lovely pool, gingerly putting those pale legs in the water. Kakashi clasped his hands in his lap and they both stared at his gloved fingers for a long moment.

Finally, Iruka gave up on waiting for Kakashi to say something and took a deep breath. When he inhaled, he undid the visual component of the seal that kept his dragon-chakra hidden; on his loud exhale, Kakashi looked up and was confronted by the sight of Iruka's scaled skin and slitted pupils. Iruka waited, his heart in his throat, for Kakashi to shift his eyes away in distaste; Kakashi simply tilted his head slightly, his gaze tracking over Iruka's face and his shoulders, where the slick scales were displayed clearly.

Iruka cleared his throat and said, "I... I used to think that my father was afraid of my mother. Sometimes he used to look at her with the strangest expression, and I thought that he was wary of what she was and what she could do. But now, looking back... I'm sure that he was afraid for her."

Kakashi's eyes were locked with his, giving nothing away. Iruka bit the inside of his bottom lip, and forced himself to go on.

"I think that there were other siblings than myself, and they died. In any case, I was their only child. It must have been so hard for them both, but my mother was always the stronger one and I think she dealt with it better. Yet, my father remained with her through thick and thin. He could have denounced her in Mist and been free to pursue a normal life, while she remained locked up or... or even killed. But he didn't. And she trusted him with all of who she was." This last was given out in a pained whisper, because Iruka was in the midst of swallowing his pride. He broke their joined gaze and stared down at the surface of the water. "It's not that I didn't trust you. But my mother and father, they drilled it into my head: no one must know. Only the Hokage and Toshiaki, that's it. They knew what it was like to be punished just for being different and they didn't want the same thing to happen to me. That is no excuse, but... but I was so happy with you. I felt that if you knew, then you would leave me."

Iruka laughed, but the sound of it was strained and bitter. "But then you found out, and you left, anyway." He felt drained, wrung out. The chakra wards hummed in worry. "You hurt me just as much as I hurt you." He said this last in such a low tone that he was positive that Kakashi didn't hear it. He opened his mouth to say something else and then closed it again, for he knew that if he continued, his voice would shake with all the pain and loss that had built up after Kakashi's departure.

"What I said... when I left," Kakashi spoke up in barely a mutter. "That was wrong. Leaving was wrong as well."

Iruka nodded listlessly. This was as close as Kakashi would ever come to an apology. He would never say--

"I'm sorry," Kakashi said; Iruka's gaze snapped back to him in disbelief. It was now Kakashi's turn, apparently, to stare at the water. The pale complexion on his cheek had gone pallid and he seemed very tired and uncertain, nothing like the smart, smirking Copy-nin. Right now, he just gave off the air of an average, careworn man, a person who was buffeted by their emotions just like anyone else, and Iruka's heart seemed to beat just for him. "I don't expect your forgiveness. But I'm sorry."

You can have anything you want from me, just ask and it's yours, Iruka almost told him but maybe that would have been too much right now. He swallowed hard and said, "I forgive you. Please... forgive me."

Kakashi closed his eyes; Iruka only knew from this angle because of the movement of Kakashi's long eyelashes; he held his breath, suddenly sure that Kakashi was going to snidely deny him this request. It couldn't be so easy, right?

Then, Kakashi murmured, "Of course, Iruka. Always."

tbc

AN: If you want an idea of what the wooden structure covering the pool looks like, it's on the Naruto Wikia under the heading of Wood Release: Wood Locking Wall.