Disclaimer: Characters and concepts belong to their rightful owner.

Warnings: Subjects which could offend, yaoi/shounen ai, language.

A/N: This is a short interlude, told from Iruka's point of view. Although it is related to the story, it has nothing to do with the main storyline. I thought that you all might like something a little different. Also, this interlude should give you some idea of how Naruto's character is perceived by other characters of the story. I hope you enjoy this, and feel free to leave any feed back.

Interlude: Awkward

Iruka yawned and took another sip of hot coffee. The place was quiet- too quiet, some might think, but that didn't bother him as much as it did others. He needed to peace that early morning brought with it if he had any hope of surviving in his line of work. While some might not think it, running a household took a lot of work and organization, and having to co-ordinate the working schedules of not only himself, but all the household employees as well was something that wasn't easily achieved.

Compared to the hard manual labour and hectic lifestyle of those that worked down in the stables, his job rather paled in comparison. But that didn't mean that he was able to take it easy. There was always something else to do in the mansion, and it sometimes meant forgoing to pleasure of his lovers company at times, and while that saddened him a little, it also made him look forward to his company all the more.

Iruka smiled as he let his damp towel drop so he could pull on a pair of trousers. Kakashi was everything he'd ever wanted in a partner, even if he did lack a few of the more desirable qualities. Punctuality would be one, Iruka wrinkled his nose, but smiled. What he lacked in organization, Kakashi made up for with dedication and passion. Whether it came to his work at the stables or Iruka, Kakashi always worked hard, and looked after his own.

That wasn't to say that they didn't have problems. Every couple had problems, it wasn't something that could ever be avoided. What really mattered though, was the fact that Iruka was happy. Kakashi made him happy. He was happy with his work, and his personal life (well, most aspects of it, anyway) and there wasn't much more he could ask for.

He'd slept well last night, despite Kakashi's absence, and he was rested and ready to begin work again. No one else was about yet, and he took a moment to enjoy early morning out of his bedroom window. The early winter weather was particularly miserable this year, rainy and cold, but it did little to dampen the spirits of those who worked at the Uchiha Mansion. Despite the rain and the bitter cold, everyone worked their hardest and managed to have fun at the same time. He'd heard about some particularly vigorous mud fights down at the stables, and the pranks that were pulled on unsuspecting comrades. Of which Naruto was often a part, and Iruka was glad. That boy needed some laughter and light heartedness in his life, and he knew that he'd find plenty of it amongst Kakashi's boisterous lot.

A knock on his bedroom door startled Iruka out of his thinking, and for a moment he stared dumbly at the door. It couldn't be Kakashi could it? What would he be doing out of bed this early?

There was another soft knock on his door, and with a frown, he strode across to the door and opened it, ready to begin questioning Kakashi on his unusual early morning appearance.

Instead he stood facing Naruto, who looked at him strangely for a split second before he looked down at his feet with a light blush colouring his cheeks.

"Naruto?" Iruka asked, finding his voice at last. "Is everything okay?"

"Uh, yeah. I just wondered if we could...talk for a few minutes. You're not busy are you?"

Even if he had been, he would have spared a few minutes for the quiet nineteen year old.

"No I'm not. Come in, I'll get you something to drink." Iruka told him, standing back from the door to admit the slight blonde.

Naruto stepped carefully past him, and shook his head.

"It's okay, I've already had breakfast."

Iruka closed the door and watched as Naruto headed for one of his armchairs and seated himself on the edge of it, seemingly nervous.

It was unusual for Naruto to turn up at Iruka's place in the mornings. He had grown used to Naruto, and he was a creature of habit and routine, and it was strange for him to break them. Breaking his routines made Naruto nervous and insecure, and it was so unlike him to do so that Iruka was confused and shocked. It didn't help that he'd been up for less than half an hour, and that his brain was barely functioning.

"So what's up? Has something happened?" Iruka asked as he pulled a shirt over his head.

He frowned as he subtly eyed Naruto. Something was up. Naruto usually relaxed when he was around him, but now he seemed tense and unsure, fiddling with his clothing and unable to make eye contact with him for longer than a few seconds at a time. Whatever surprise he had in store, it couldn't be good. It never was when it came to Naruto, and whenever he had something to reveal, it was almost always bad. If anyone had been dealt a crueller hand of fate than Naruto had, then Iruka would be surprised to hear about it.

When he'd first set eyes on Naruto, he'd known immediately that something wasn't right with him. It's the eyes, he thought to himself as he watched Naruto fidget. Those impossibly blue eyes harboured secrets that Iruka dared not delve into. Shadows and secrets and a pain that would likely never heal, even with all the time on earth. Haunted eyes they were, and he had never seen eyes like Naruto's before.

"No, nothings happened. I just need...to talk to you about something is all," Naruto practically whispered, his blush deepening by several shades.

Iruka's heart went out to him. He'd always had a soft spot for Naruto, and he loved him like his own family. Whatever it was, he could handle it. He had always managed in the past, even when he'd found out about Naruto's addiction to hurting himself, and his repeated suicide attempts. Even when he'd sat on the very couch he was currently on and had broken down in Iruka's arms and had revealed the horrible events of his past, Iruka had coped and helped him to start to sort though his deep rooted issues. Never had he met someone who had as many problems as Naruto, and those problems weren't for anyone with a weak stomach.

He went over and sat on the coffee table facing Naruto and took his hands, squeezing and stroking them gently.

"I take it that it's something that you're not comfortable talking about then?" Iruka prompted with a smile.

Naruto returned the smiled weakly, finally raising his eyes to Iruka's.

"That obvious, huh?"

"Just a little. Now why don't you tell me what's bothering you and we'll see if we can't come to some sort of solution."

Naruto released a little sigh and shifted on his chair, looking down once more.

"Well, I was just...I saw..."

"You saw..."

Naruto sighed again. "The other night...you and Kakashi..."

Confused, Iruka sat back and frowned at Naruto's bent head. Was that what was bothering him? Did he dislike the idea of Kakashi and himself being lovers? He hadn't even been aware that Naruto had known, for both he and Kakashi had agreed to be discreet about the status of their relationship. In fact, he shouldn't have been surprised, because Naruto was unusually adept and accurate with his observations.

"You're...together with him, right?" Naruto asked shyly, looking back up at him again.

"Yeah. We're lovers, if that's what you mean" Iruka answered, struggling to keep his voice and face passive and neutral. The slightest sign of negative emotion could scare Naruto off like a rabbit. If there was one thing Naruto excelled at , it was reading people and their emotions and if there was one sure-fire way to gain Naruto's trust, it was to hide any negative thoughts and emotions or anger as best you could. Naruto hated fighting, and shouting. Those things usually had him running for the hills in a flash. And while it had taken Iruka awhile to get a handle on controlling his emotions, he had managed it, for Naruto.

It seemed that he was successful, because Naruto seemed to gain a little confidence.

"I was just wondering...how two guys...can be together." Naruto stammered.

Iruka was floored. For a moment he just sat there, with his mouth hanging open and staring at Naruto as if he'd just turned green and sprouted wings. His mind struggled to comprehend the words that had emerged from Naruto's mouth, and for a good minute he couldn't think of a suitable answer for him.

"Don't worry about it. I shouldn't have asked," Naruto said quickly as he stood up and quickly headed for the door.

Realizing that he'd just succeeded in driving Naruto away and humiliating him (which was something he had sworn never to do) Iruka shot to his feet, his mind restarting in an instant.

"No, wait!" he called.

Naruto froze with his hand on the door handle, and he half turned, with the expression of a deer caught in the headlights written on his face.

"Wait. I'm sorry, Naruto. You caught me off guard there for a moment. Come and sit back down, and we'll talk about this properly."

For a moment, Naruto hesitated before making up his mind and making his way back to his previous seat.

Iruka sat down when he did, and studied the appealing young man before him. While Naruto didn't quite fit into the "pretty boy" category, and while he wasn't quite handsome in a masculine way, Naruto was definitely easy on the eyes. His fine hair was soft and gleaned like polished gold, or summer sunlight. Golden skin complimented his fair hair, a result of his work out doors. It was his eyes that caught people, and that was where his personality shone through. Whilst to some it might appear that his emotions were written for all to see on his face, there was a lot that Naruto managed to hide successfully from everyone, and that had initially surprised Iruka.

Naruto possessed a slender build, and whilst he wasn't particularly short, he wasn't tall either. He was the kind of person that could slip unnoticed through a crowd.

Iruka was perhaps the only one who saw the person Naruto should be. The person he could be, if he could just let go of the past. He was the only one who saw that the person Naruto was, wasn't the person he had once been.

Once, a long time ago, Naruto had been loud and bright and a person who could captivate the world with his disarming smile. Once, Iruka reminded himself. He'd seen pictures of Naruto's childhood, and he mourned secretly, in the dead of the night, for the child that Naruto had been. That person had died years ago, and Iruka would have given his life to see him return once more. But he never would, and that was, perhaps, the saddest thing of all amongst the tragedies that made up Naruto's life.

Iruka shook himself free of his introspection, and refocused on Naruto's anxious face.

"Now, let's narrow this down a little shall we? Why don't you tell me what it is that you want answered, and I'll try to the best of my ability."

Naruto nodded, and looked at the scruffy covering of the chairs arm.

"I guess what I'm asking is...how do two guys have...s-sex." Naruto's blush returned full force, and Iruka tried his best not to stare at Naruto. He took a deep breath and tried to push his shock aside for the time being so he could sort his thoughts out.

"Is there any reason why you want to know this now?" Iruka asked, as gently as he could, for he knew that Naruto was embarrassed and uncomfortable with the subject. He suspected that Naruto was a virgin, and although there was nothing wrong with that at all, it was understandable why he was only just starting to ask questions about the topic. After having a traumatized teenage hood, there hadn't been much room for self discovery of any sort.

Naruto was practically squirming in his seat. "Well, it's just..."

"You think you might be...gay?" Iruka guessed.

"M-maybe..."

"Okay well, what is it that you wish to know?"

"Is it...normal? As in, is it the same as a guy and a girl being together?"

"Normal...I'd say it was. It doesn't matter who you love, whether they be male or female. Just that the love exists. Love doesn't discriminate. It's perfectly fine for two guys to love each other, and to be together. And no, I wouldn't say that it's the same as a guy and a girl being together. In the actual act of sex, some of the same principles apply, but not all of them." Iruka explained.

"What kind of principles?"

"The male body isn't designed to accommodate...well, lets just say that the act of penetration isn't something that the male body was made to deal with. So there are some things that need to be done to make sex more comfortable, and enjoyable."

"Would you...would you mind telling me?"

The fact that Naruto had come to him for answers, and the fact that he was so innocently naive, touched Iruka, and he moved to sit beside him on the arm chair.

"Well, to begin with..."

I thought I'd forgoe all the technical details of sex between guys. Well, the truth is that i couldn't really think of a way to put it that wouldn't sound pathetic and boring. So i hope you all enjoyed this and rest assured that another update is on the way. Thanks for reading!