A/N: I tried to put everything into one chapter and draw a conclusion to it. But I guess, I can't. After reading through the draft several times, I guess I still need to add some kind of a flow to the story. So yeah, this is the second last chapter, I hope. Thanks to all who have reviewed! ^_^ Enjoy!

Chapter 13: Getting Ready

Kakashi sat on his couch with his book. His brows furrowed together as he tried to read the text. Funny. Somehow, the words just seem to swim right past him that night. He couldn't even grasp a single word clearly.

He snapped the book shut and sank deeper into the couch, staring up at the ceiling. Iruka had left two hours ago. But his brain was still processing little bits of details of the tanned chunin, trying to find the subtle hint that told him that he could go ahead with his next plan.

It has been a week since that fateful night when he had kissed Iruka.

And what had transpired after that? Well, Iruka still acted normal around him, laughing, joking and telling him the stories of his every day. That evening, after dinner, they had even sat down at the coffee table, over a game of Go and discussing about everything under the sun.

Which was a good thing in the copy nin's point of view. At least Iruka hadn't been put off and somehow, it just gave him a glimpse of hope.

Standing up, he slipped his book into the shelf and headed to his room. As he slipped under the covers, he made a decision.

He will go ahead and move on to his next step. After all, he got nothing to lose right?

Wrong. If he doesn't take it cautiously, he may end up losing the friendship which had been built up between the two of them. He may end up hurting his own ego if things go wrong. And worse, if he isn't careful, he may end up chasing away what could possibly be the love of his life.

Kakashi groaned as he buried his face in his pillows.

No, this wouldn't do. He needs to execute it flawlessly. He cannot afford to leave any room for failures. This will take some time to plan it out. But he was sure he will be able to do it.

Genma flicked his senbon and watched quietly. The mission room was getting past its busy hour and shinobi are starting to clear out of the room.

Something just isn't right, and he knows it.

Raidou entered the room with a stack of papers and eyed the honey-haired man, who seems oblivious to his surroundings. He frowned and walked over, dumping the papers on the table in front of Genma.

No reaction from the other man.

"Genma, just what the –" Raidou's statement was being cut short by a gesture from Genma. The honey-haired jounin put a finger to his lips, signaling for the man to stay silent, as he continued staring.

Raidou rubbed his chin and followed the other man's gaze. When he didn't see anything out of the ordinary, he turned back.

"What is it?"

"Did you notice?"

"What?" Raidou scowled, his patience running out.

"Iruka."

Raidou turned again and looked at the tanned chunin sitting at his table. He turned back to Genma. "And what about him?"

"Something is off. I've been watching him for a week." Genma smirked.

"You what?!" Raidou roared. Genma jumped in his seat at the voice and turned to look at his lover. Then he realized how he had just sounded.

"Uh, I don't mean it that way, Raidou." Genma laughed nervously.

"And just what do you mean?" The anger wasn't gone in the voice.

"Look at him, Rai. Just look at him. We are creating a din here. But he isn't even in the least affected. No, scratch that. He didn't even notice!"

Raidou turned to look at Iruka again. And sure enough, the chunin doesn't seem to have notice the conflict between the two jounin. He was staring at a scroll in front of him and he held a pen in his hand. But, he wasn't writing, and from the looks of it, it doesn't seem that he is reading the contents in the scroll either.

"It's been a week. He spaces out so very often for god know what reason."

"Spacing out? That isn't like Iruka." Raidou looked thoughtful. Genma nodded eagerly.

"There's something else. I tried talking to him the past week. But every time I talk about Kakashi, he blushes and stutters. I'm sure there's something going on between them." Genma grinned.

"Hmm……" Raidou frowned. "I wonder just what is wrong."

"Yeah, who knows?" Genma stood from his seat and was about to head over to the tanned chunin when someone stepped into the mission room and beat him to the desk.

Genma blinked. Just what the hell was Kakashi doing here? He was sure the jounin wasn't on any mission and isn't it a bit too late to pick up one?

The silver-haired jounin ignored the others in the room and stood in front of Iruka.

"Yo, sensei."

Iruka snapped from his reverie and Raidou's jaw dropped when the normally calm teacher fumbled and almost knocked a stack of papers on his desk to the ground.

"Uh, Iruka-sensei, are you alright?" Kakashi blinked. Iruka blushed.

"Y…… Yes. Sorry." Iruka mumbled. "Is there anything I can do for you?"

"Um…… Well……" Kakashi paused. Iruka looked at him and barely kept from gaping.

Kakashi looked nervous. That's something new for the chunin. The older man had always come across as someone confident and strong. Always sure of his own words and actions and never a moment of hesitation.

This certainly isn't the Kakashi that he and everyone else had always known.

Iruka shifted and looked past the jounin, noticing his two other comrades staring at them, as if waiting for some kind of drama to take place. Genma and Raidou turned away immediately and pretended to sort out their paperwork. Iruka frowned. But his attention was brought back when the jounin in front of him began speaking again.

"Well, Iruka-sensei, I was actually wondering if you would be free tomorrow evening for dinner." Kakashi rubbed the back of his neck.

"Yes, of course." Iruka answered without a second thought as he smiled. It had already become such a natural answer. His eyes darted between the silver-haired jounin and his two friends who were watching the small exchange.

"Great. I will pick you up at 7pm from your apartment." Kakashi's eye crinkled up. Iruka nodded.

"Sure. I will see you tomorrow evening then."

Kakashi nodded and lift his hand in a half wave before making his exit.

Kakashi cursed as he left the mission room and hurried down the streets. He couldn't believe that he was so nervous in front of Iruka. What happened to that cool and calm façade that he always put up? Just what is it about Iruka that always got him so edgy and unsure of himself?

Damn.

Kakashi paused in his steps and raked a hand through his hair in frustration. He had to stop acting like some kind of a lovelorn fool in front of Iruka. Sure, he had found himself attracted to the chunin more than he wanted to be. But that is definitely no reason for him to uptight about the whole thing. Thankfully, he had been able to collect back himself before he started acting like a total idiot in front of the chunin earlier.

'Great.' Kakashi took a deep breath and relaxed his muscles. Then he turned and headed towards the memorial stone.

The worst is over. Iruka had agreed to the date. Now what he needs to do is to chill it out and hoped that everything will go accordingly to what he had planned.