A/N: Right, here's the update. ^_^ Somehow, I guess, I managed to get it out. Hope it isn't too bad. =.= Enjoy!

Chapter 3: Anger and Worries

Iruka fiddled with his pen absently. Another week has gone by. He was seriously missing Kakashi. Something just feels off without the jounin being there. And he was beginning to worry about how the older man is doing in the mission, whether he had successfully acquire yet another injury and how he was getting on.

Iruka sighed and shook his head to clear his thoughts. His hand moved to a pile of scrolls on the side of his desk and he randomly picked out one and went through it.

Just as he was beginning to focus on the contents, a voice down the corridor made him jerked in his seat. He cringed as the voice came nearer and he immediately stood up and gathered whatever scrolls he had completed and hurried to the backroom.

"Iruka, where are you going?" One of his colleagues looked at the flustered chunin curiously.

"To do some filing." Iruka muttered and walked briskly into the backroom, closing the door behind him.

Once he was inside, he shook his head in irritation and dumped the few scrolls he had in his arms onto the table in the filing room. He almost groaned when the boisterous voice he dreaded so much came through the door and he could vaguely make out the person asking one of his colleagues where he was.

He leaned against the cabinet and sank onto the floor tiredly.

For the last one week, since he had unwillingly got acquainted with Oukei, the other chunin had been irritating the hell out of him. He remembered the next day after they had first met, Oukei had asked him out for lunch after their planning session in the academy. Iruka had agreed out of politeness and because two other colleagues were going with them. But ever since that first agreement, Oukei had relentlessly been pestering him for another meal together.

Iruka frowned darkly. He was fine with making friends and acquaintances and he knew he was what everyone would say friendly. But he was definitely not one to be push around and influenced by mere words.

The short conversation which he had with Oukei still rang clear in his mind.

~.~.~.~.~.~.

Flashback

~.~.~.~.~.~.

"Iruka-sensei!"

Iruka looked up from his desk and immediately suppressed a groan when he realized who it was. He briefly nodded his acknowledgement and went back to reading the scroll in front of him.

"Good afternoon, Iruka-sensei." The person stood in front of his desk and smiled.

"Good afternoon." Iruka greeted politely, without looking up from his work. "Do you have a report to submit, Oukei-san?"

"No." The cheerfulness in the voice was so evident that it made Iruka twitched.

"Oh? Then what are you doing here?"

"Ah…. I have some business with you, Iruka-sensei."

"Is it?" Iruka stamped the approval on the report in front of him and tossed it to the pile on his right before reaching over to his left and pulled out another scroll. "But I don't seem to remember that I have any with you."

"Well, perhaps I hadn't been too clear in my actions for the last few days, Iruka-sensei. So I may have caused some troubles and inconvenience for you."

'Hell right you did.' Iruka thought darkly. He sighed and glanced up briefly before turning his gaze back to the report again. "And?"

"I'm here to make my intentions clear."

Iruka swallowed hard. He had a feeling he won't be liking his.

Oukei did not wait for an answer anyway. He leaned forward slightly and grinned at the tanned teacher. "I'm officially courting you, Iruka-sensei."

Iruka jerked back in his seat and stared at him incredulously. "I beg your pardon?" He asked carefully.

"I'm going to court you." Oukei smiled in satisfaction. "And I'm officially asking you out for a date. Are you free next Saturday, Iruka-sensei?"

"No." Iruka frowned. What the hell is this guy trying to do?

"You didn't even consider."

"Because I don't have to." Iruka snapped. "I believe very well that you know I'm attached, Oukei-san."

"Oh yes, that I do." Oukei shoved his hands into his pocket, the smile never leaving his face.

"Then why are you asking me such a ridiculous question?"

"Well, I do think that long as you aren't bound legally by marriage, I still have the right to court you."

"And what makes you think that I will leave my boyfriend and stay with you?" Iruka's eyes narrowed dangerously.

"Well, because I do think that your chunin boyfriend isn't good enough for you. You deserve much better." Oukei apparently had not noticed the change in the chunin's mood.

By now, Iruka's other colleagues in the mission room were either retreating from the room for fear of the chunin's wrath or they were watching with interest from a distance.

"Chunin boyfriend?" Iruka almost growled. "What makes you think that my boyfriend is a chunin? And what do you mean by I deserve better?"

"Well, not everyone can match up to someone as perfect as you, Iruka-sensei." Oukei grinned. "And while I wouldn't say that I'm good enough, but I know I would be a sweeter, more loving boyfriend than your current one."

The chunin reached one hand forward and flicked a stray strand of hair away from Iruka's face, making the academy teacher saw red. "And by logic, a chunin will only mix around with another chunin. Jounin are too high and too far out of reach, while genin are too low and perhaps too young to even talk about love."

An array of emotions ran through Iruka. The most evident ones were insult and anger. He was insulted that Oukei had thought him not good enough for a jounin and he felt insulted for Kakashi that the other chunin had deemed the older man not good enough for Iruka.

Iruka seethed. He pushed back his chair and stood up, facing Oukei with anger in his eyes.

"Oukei-san, I would take it on account that you are Iwashi's friend and I will pretend I hear none of this today. But come to me again with such nonsense, and I will personally make you regret it." He gathered up the scrolls in his arms and glared at Oukei. "And, if I ever hear you make any bad remarks about my boyfriend again, my threat stands too."

With that, the tanned chunin stormed away from his desk and into the backroom.

~.~.~.~.~.~.

End of flashback

~.~.~.~.~.~.

Iruka frowned. What does Oukei thinks he has that Kakashi doesn't and what makes that pompous chunin thinks that he can so easily win Iruka over from Kakashi?

Kakashi's smile is reserved for him and him only. But Oukei goes around flashing smiles at the entire village. Kakashi's single grey eye flashes so many different types of emotions. But Oukei's olive green eyes were just….. green. Nothing special. He doesn't speak words with his eyes like Kakashi does. His eyes do not captivate Iruka like Kakashi's does.

And well, Iruka's frown darkened. Whether it's in terms of built, looks, height or even mannerisms, Oukei has nothing that outshines Kakashi. Kakashi is well-built, with his years of training and practice as a shinobi. But Oukei looks like a fresh out genin who hardly even went on missions or does training. Kakashi is good looking, not that anyone else other than Iruka would ever know. Alright, perhaps Oukei isn't that bad to look at too. He's fair, with short ruffled black hair and he carries off his charm in his own way. But Iruka was sure that he wasn't the only one with a charm. The village is full of charming guys, young and old alike. Like Shikamaru, Genma, Neji, Naruto and Kiba. Even Asuma and Raidou has their own charms.

Iruka scowled. In terms of mannerisms, Kakashi fares so much better. Fine, he reads porn in public and his tardiness and nonchalant attitude had more often than not got on everyone's nerves. But people who knew him still loves him for the way he cares for his friends around him and people who doesn't know him respects him for his revered fame and his devotion and loyalty to the village.

And for one thing, Kakashi would never even talk behind anyone's back or gossip for that matter. Not like what Iruka had heard two days back from Oukei.

The thought stung. Iruka sighed exasperatedly. How he wish Kakashi was right here now. He stared blankly at the ceiling. What had he done to deserve this?

=-=-=-=

Kakashi leaned against a tree, panting and grimacing from the pain of his newly acquired wounds. Genma slumped onto the ground, nursing a slash across his thigh. Asuma clutched on to his arm, trying to stop the bleeding.

"Damn it. I wouldn't have expected those guys to be so tough." Genma cursed. "Just our luck to run into them just as we are reaching the village."

"But at least they are dead now." Asuma muttered, feeling the brunt of the chakra depletion.

"Yeah. Come on, let's get a move." Kakashi pushed himself off the tree, wincing as the act aggravated the slash across his abdomen and caused a pain to shoot through his body. "We are still holding on to the scroll. They may have backups who will still come after us. We aren't safe until we pass the gates."

Genma shoved himself off the ground and limped a little. Asuma nodded and started off. The three stumbled across the forest, heading down the path they knew so well, following the trek with the familiar markings of Konoha territory.

Within moments, the giant gates of the village came into view. Genma gave a tired grin at his two companions.

"Home."

The other two nodded in relief. With the last bit of their strength, they walked through the trees clad area and through the red gates, where they finally collapsed from sheer exhaustion.

=-=-=-=

Iruka pulled open the door half an hour later and stepped back into the mission room. He had ceased hearing Oukei's voice ten minutes ago. But he had stayed inside the backroom for a while longer, just so he can be sure that he will completely avoid the other chunin.

He glanced around the room and almost sighed in relief as he made his way back to his desk. He was about to reach his seat when a hand landed on his shoulder and he whirled around, surprised.

And he came face to face with the person he had tried so desperately to avoid meeting.

Iruka frowned. But Oukei greeted him with a wide smile.

"How are you doing today, Iruka-sensei?"

Iruka cleared his throat. "Fine." He held back the 'until you came along', instead opting to keep up with his politeness.

He settled back in his seat and tried to concentrate on the pile of reports. But the chunin in front of him rambled on about some random stuff, making him unable to focus.

Then Oukei said something, catching him totally unaware. "You know, Iruka-sensei, I thought about what you said the other day. But if I let a mere threat hinder my pursuit of you, then I'm really not worthy to court you. And frankly speaking, I would love to give us both a chance."

Iruka felt a vein twitched in annoyance. He remained silent, trying to soothe his raging anger.

"Well, what do you think, Iruka-sensei?" Oukei leaned forward and smiled at the academy teacher. "You should give us both a chance to get to know each other better."

Iruka was ready to snap. He glared at the other man, ready to give him a piece of his mind.

"Iruka!"

Izumo burst into the room, making everyone turned towards the door where the long haired chunin was panting harshly.

"Izumo, what happened?" Iruka momentarily forgot about Oukei as he studied his friend's hastened state.

"Th…. They ar…are back." Izumo took in a few deep breaths, trying to calm his heartbeat. He walked up to Iruka and pulled the chunin out of his seat.

"They are back." Izumo finally got back his breath to speak coherently. "Ko and I were at the guard post when they came back. They are in a bad state. We sent them to the hospital. Go now."

Iruka gaped. "You don't mean……"

Izumo nodded. "Kurenai and Raidou are on their way there. I will take your shift here. Just go."

Iruka mumbled a thanks and bolted out of the room.

=-=-=-=