A/N: And here you go, the next chapter. For those reading Unintended Acquaintances, I have to apologise for not updating it for the last few days. Work has gotten pretty hectic and I can only focus on one chapter a day. =.= I will try to update it soon. But in the meantime, enjoy this!

Chapter 4: The Meeting

Raidou turned at the sound of hurried footsteps behind him. He stared at the flustered chunin running towards him.

"Iruka?"

Iruka skidded to a halt in front of him. Panting and out of breath, he swiped the sweat from his brow and glanced at the older man worriedly.

"How…… How are they?"

Raidou sighed as he gestured to the room he was standing outside of. "They are fine. Chakra depletion and some lacerations. Tsunade-sama is talking to them now."

Iruka heaved a sigh of relief as he leaned against the wall tiredly. Both men stayed outside the room, waiting for the Hokage to come out.

"Where's Kurenai?" Iruka asked as he shuffled his feet nervously.

"She went with Shizune to help her pick up something for the three casualties inside."

Iruka sighed and rubbed his temples tiredly. Another silence fell between them as they leaned against the wall.

Raidou glanced at the younger man beside him and sighed. "Is Iwashi's friend still hounding you?"

Iruka turned to look at him and snorted. "I will thank my heavens if he stops doing that."

"Kakashi is back anyway." The scarred jounin grinned. "That should be enough to put him off."

"I hope so." Iruka gave a small smile. "I wouldn't want Kakashi to get upset over this."

"He trusts you."

Iruka raised an eyebrow. The thought of Kakashi trusting him was enough to warm his heart. He grinned. "I know."

The door slid open and the two of them immediately straightened themselves and bowed politely.

"Hokage-sama."

Tsunade nodded and smiled at them. "You may go in now. I have Shizune go over to my office to pick up some medications for them. They will stay here for the night and recuperate. They will be able to go back tomorrow."

"Thank you, Hokage-sama." Iruka smiled. The older lady gave him a firm pat on the shoulder, before she strode down the corridor.

Iruka followed Raidou into the room and studied the three men lying in their beds, exhaustion clearly written on their faces. He walked over to where his silver-haired boyfriend was and sat down on the chair, gently brushing the silvery strands off the pale face.

Kakashi peeked an eye open and gave him a grin, reaching out to hold his hand.

"Welcome home, love." Iruka pressed his lips against the pale knuckles.

The jounin pushed himself into a seating position, wincing when he felt a stretch across the wound on his abdomen. Iruka frowned and moved to sit down on the bed, studying the older man with worry.

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah." Kakashi ran a hand through his hair.

Iruka ran a hand lightly across the bandage on the jounin's chest. "What the hell did you do to yourself?"

Kakashi shrugged. "Maa….. It's nothing serious." He leaned forward and placed a chaste kiss on the chunin's lips. "So, did you miss me?"

Iruka snorted. Kakashi raised an eyebrow.

The two stared at each other for a while before Iruka broke into a smile and wrapped his arms lightly around the jounin's neck.

"Yeah, I missed you."

Kakashi chuckled. "So did anything happen during my absence?"

Iruka shook his head. And then, Oukei crossed his mind and he stiffened.

Kakashi noticed the hesitation and frowned. "What?"

Iruka pulled back and averted his gaze. "Nothing."

The jounin's frown deepens. Something was definitely wrong. He was about to probe further when Kurenai entered the room with Shizune.

"Here you go, Kakashi-san." Shizune held out some pills for him. The jounin grimaced and took the pills into his hands.

"That would help you to smoothen out your chakra flow." Shizune smiled.

"And hopefully helps enough to have all three of you out of the hospital tomorrow." Kurenai shook her head in exasperation.

Kakashi sighed and popped the pills into his mouth, swallowing them dry. When he turned to look at his chunin, he found the younger man in deep thoughts and a frown had appeared on the tanned face.

=-=-=-=

The moonlight spilled through the window and Kakashi lay in his bed, staring at the scenery outside blankly.

"What are you thinking about, Kakashi?" Genma yawned as he sat up in his bed.

"Something."

Asuma snorted. "Do you mind giving us a clearer answer?"

The copy nin sat up in his bed and looked at his two companions. "Something is wrong."

"Like what?" Genma raised an eyebrow in curiosity.

"Iruka looks like he is hiding something from me." Kakashi frowned deeply. "And I sense it has something to do with me."

"Oh?" Asuma ran a hand through his hair. "Why didn't you ask him about it?"

"I did. But he said it was nothing. Though from the way he was so deep in thoughts, I really do not think it was nothing."

"So, what do you think it is?"

"I don't want to speculate. But it's so apparent he has something that he is hiding from me." Kakashi ran through the thoughts in his mind and then, he looked up at his friends, a startled look in his eye. "You don't think….."

"What? That he would tell you that during your three weeks' absence, he found someone new?"

Kakashi frowned. "No. Iruka isn't someone so fickle."

Asuma let out a low laugh. "Then what are you thinking about then?"

"Well, you don't think he's gotten into some sort of troubles?"

The other two jounin exchanged glances. Then Genma shrugged. "I don't know. Raidou didn't say anything when he was here earlier. If Iruka is in some sort of troubles, he would have said it."

"Kurenai did say something though." Asuma frowned as he tried to recall what Kurenai had been telling him earlier on while he was trying to fight off the fatigue and listen.

"What?" Kakashi raised an eyebrow.

"I'm not too sure. She said something about someone called Iwashi and mentioned about some harassment towards Iruka."

"Iwashi?" Kakashi mused.

"Oh, he's a chunin." Genma chuckled. "Quite a nice guy. We went on a mission together once."

Kakashi shrugged. "What about him? And what harassment is Iruka facing?"

"Who knows?"Asuma stared blankly at the ceiling. "I was too out just now to actually register what Kurenai was saying. You might want to try asking her to fill you in tomorrow."

The silver haired jounin sighed and rubbed his face tiredly. "I guess that's the only way."

=-=-=-=

Kakashi pulled on his shirt and stretched himself, feeling his muscles popped. He grabbed his vest which was thrown over the chair and put in on just as Iruka entered the room with a bag of medications.

An arm slipped around his waist and a warm body pressed up behind him.

"Ready to go?"

Kakashi turned around and pressed a kiss on the tanned forehead. "Yes."

Iruka laughed and pulled away. He turned and walked out of the hospital room, bidding Asuma and Genma goodbye on the way out.

Kakashi followed the younger man and on threw Asuma a glance when he passed the bearded jounin's bed. Asuma gave him a knowing nod and the copy nin walked out of the room.

The two fell into steps beside each other and walked down the hospital's corridor.

"You don't have to be at the academy today?" Kakashi glanced at his younger lover curiously.

"It's Saturday, Kakashi."

"Saturday." The jounin nodded.

They walked a few more steps before Kakashi stopped abruptly in his movements. Iruka noticed the sudden halt and looked at the jounin strangely.

Kakashi glanced at the chunin in front of him. "Saturday?" He asked weakly.

Iruka nodded uncertainly, taken aback by his lover's weird antics. "What's wrong with you?"

The jounin immediately reached into his pocket and pulled out his pocket watch. Flicking it open, he took a quick glance before his tensed posture relaxed. 'I'm not late.'

"Kakashi?" Iruka ran a hand across the masked cheek and looked at him worriedly. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah." The older man took the hand in his and gave Iruka a smile. "Let's go."

The two walked out onto the streets, laughing and teasing each other. They stopped by the marketplace to pick up some groceries.

Kakashi looked at the fresh array of vegetables laid out in front of him for selection and he began picking out some eggplants. Iruka shook his head in amusement and moved over to the fruits' section.

He was picking out some apples when someone tapped him on the shoulder. Thinking Kakashi was done, he turned around with a slight smile on his lips.

And his smile turned into a frown.

"Iruka-sensei." Oukei beamed at him.

The chunin hid his scowl and turned back to his selection. "What do you want, Oukei-san?"

"Well, you ran off so abruptly yesterday. I didn't even get my answer from you. And since fate decides that I meet you again today, I think I should ask you for an answer."

"What answer?" Iruka asked flatly, trying to keep his annoyance at check.

"You know, about my suggestion that we have a chance to know each other better." Oukei grinned.

"I told you I have a boyfriend, Oukei-san." Iruka snapped, turning to look at him.

"That won't hinder me from courting you. And I think that shouldn't hinder you from considering other better choices."

Iruka seethed. He clenched his fists, the fruits forgotten.

"Oukei-san…." The chunin started.

"Iruka?" Another voice interrupted them.

Both chunin turned around. Kakashi stood there, with a bag in his hand and looking at them strangely.

"What's going on?" The jounin's eye shifted between both chunin before his gaze landed on Oukei suspiciously.

"Kakashi….."

"Hatake-sama." Oukei bowed politely, instantly recognizing the renowned copy nin. "It's a pleasant surprise to meet you here on a shopping trip."

Kakashi frowned. Oukei looked up at him with a smile, understanding the purpose of the disruption. "I believe you are concerned about your friend here. But I assure you that I mean no harm. It is just a small talk between Iruka-sensei and I. I won't take long. Just give us a minute to talk alone."

The frown deepened. Iruka swallowed hard as he eyed his boyfriend tentatively.

Kakashi studied Oukei intently, trying to figure out the other man's intentions. He didn't like this man one bit. Friends? What makes this person thinks that he and Iruka are just friends?

"Hatake-sama…." Oukei frowned when the jounin showed no intention to move away.

Kakashi's glare silenced him immediately. The jounin watched Oukei steely for a minute more before he finally spoke in a cold voice.

"Who are you?"

=-=-=-=