Chapter 29

A/N: Hello everyone. No, I haven't given up on this story and I never will. School is taking up a lot of my time, but Anything Else? will NOT be left unfinished! I will not rest till this story has come to an end. Okay, so we're clear? Good xD. Just wanted to let you know that this isn't one of those stories that will be left "in progress" for all eternity. Hope that makes at least a few people out there happy to know :)

The clock was around 15:00 when I stepped out of the bus and walked down the then very familiar stone path with one bag of groceries in each hand. It was incredibly warm and humid outside, you could easily tell that we had just stepped into the summer season of Japan. Unfortunately, early June also happened to be the rainy season in these parts of the country. A hail was probably hiding inside one of those darker clouds in the horizon, slowly making its force of raindrops greater till it would finally burst and wash away the remains of everything that was not waterproof.

My eyes fell on the two cars standing in front of the house as I walked by them. Kakuzu had bought himself a car just a few days ago. He did not think it was fair to Hidan if he had to keep on being the only one driving between his and Kakuzu's place. With a car, he would also be able to drive to work without having to wake Hidan in the morning – which, apparently, was a huge problem.

His car was not anything fancy, though. The rims were nothing to write home about, the paintwork was irregular so even the blindest man would be able to tell that the flame red car used to be painted a deep blue. And like that was not enough, the hood was bumpy and the inside upholstery fabrics were a terrible vomit green and torn in various places. Those were only a few flaws out of many, to tell the truth.

Imagine how Hidan and I reacted when seeing that wreck. Especially after Kakuzu had proudly showed us his expensive car radio complete with two enormous speakers in the back of the trunk. Yeah, weird combination. Seemingly, Kakuzu wanted to "cruise with style," though I did not know how much style there was about that. He truly was someone who cared about the environment and the quality of the things he bought, but the speakers were about the only thing that lived up to those standards. You could practically see the world dying behind you when driving past in that gas guzzler, which did not exactly make the kangaroo ride more enjoyable to attend since Kakuzu had no idea of how to drive a stick. Well, in some cases he probably did, but not when it came to cars, if you know what I mean. At least the sound level of Hidan moaning at night would not make any sense then.

But lately, they had been strangely quiet after they went to bed and at this point, you should not be surprised to hear that they fought a lot. Much more than they used to, which was sad, but there was nothing I could do no matter how much I wished to help them solve things out.

When I opened the door and walked inside the the house, I was pleased to hear that the spacious rooms were not filled with loud screaming and door slamming. It was quiet and the atmosphere seemed nice and peaceful. I crossed my fingers, hoping it would stay that way at least throughout the day.

I headed towards the kitchen, but a calm conversation between the two lovers made me stop in my tracks, not letting them know of my presence.

"Hey, Kakuzu, can I ask you a private question?"

Once, I always tricked myself into thinking that eavesdropping on private conversations was normal, but with every time I did it, I figured I was just looking for an excuse to eavesdrop some more. No wonder Kami castigated me every now and then.

"Don't think there's any left to answer, but sure, ask anything you want, inquisitive Tom."

"Ha, ha ,ha. Not funny. It's not that kind of private question, I just don't want you to tell anyone about this conversation, okay?"

"Get to the point, Hidan."

They were quiet for a minute.

"I was just wondering about something. You're good at that gay thing, right?"

"What gay thing?"

"You know, that thing you do when you look at people and then determine if they're gay or not."

I was pretty sure I could hear Kakuzu literally face palming himself, and honestly, I was close to doing so myself. Hidan could be a complete idiot sometimes. He was so bad at expressing himself.

"If it was a gay thing, you would have that "power" too and we wouldn't be having this conversation."

"Whatever. Just forget it."

"No, come one, Hidan, now you've made me curious." Kakuzu did not sound very curious, but when Hidan got like that, it was better just to listen or else he would be all pouty for the rest of the day. Maybe even longer. Poor Kakuzu.

"Well... Have you noticed anything about Iruka?"

… Mentioning my name in that kind of context did not exactly thrill me. Had he actually figured it out? Or was it perhaps Kakashi who had said something? My eyes widened at the thought and I immediately felt the nervousness in my stomach. Why did I always have to dig in business that was not mine!

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"Which team do you think he plays for? You've known him for long enough to judge that by now, right?"

"He's straight. Why do you ask?" It was funny how confident Kakuzu sounded when saying that, but at least he did not suspect anything. Maybe he would be able to get Hidan off my back? At least it sounded like the silver haired albino trusted him.

"How can you be so sure?" Hidan asked, not sounding very convinced, unfortunately.

"There's nothing gay about him. He doesn't act gay, he doesn't sound gay, he doesn't look gay. Not to mention the way he always has to adjust his genitals whenever that commercial is on."

What commercial?

"What commercial?"

"You know, the one with the red haired girl and glasses. It's a perfume commercial. I think her name is Karin or something?"

I don't remember such a commercial?

"Haven't seen it." It sometimes scared me how muck alike Hidan and my thinking patterns were. I suppose I should be embarrassed.

"You have. It's on the TV all the time. She's dressed as a mermaid and she pours water all over herself so she won't dry out while being onshore."

Oh, that one. Wait, I do not touch myself! Sometimes I do, obviously. I'm only a guy, but not when I watch that commercial. Do I?

"Oooh! Couldn't you just have said that to begin with? Like I would remember some model's name."

"You were a model yourself. Kinda figured you would know some of your rivals' and colleagues' names."

"No need to. My agent whispered them to me before I had to talk with any of them. It worked out perfectly. Well, most of the time. But that's not what we were talking about. I've never seen Iruka do that when that commercial is on."

"How could you when your eyes are as plastered to the screen as his?"

My cheeks and ears were burning hot. Did I really do that? Why had I never noticed? Could it really be for the same reason as Hidan?

Hidan huffed, "That doesn't make him straight."

"You're saying you can prove me wrong?"

Then came that quietness again. Out of all the times Hidan could choose to keep his mouth shut, why choose then? I wanted to know. But on the other hand, I was not sure if I wanted Kakuzu to know.

"I didn't think so," Kakuzu snorted and the silence continued. I was both thankful and disappointed at the same time when Hidan did not say anything. It was probably for the best.

But just when I was about to walk inside, Hidan confessed. "He asks questions about us two all the time. And I've kinda made out with him before." Something was slammed down on the table just before a chair screeched against the floor. Someone walked further away from the door and soon the faucet started running.

I did not appreciate Hidan telling Kakuzu that at all.

"Hey, calm down, Kakuzu. It was before I met you."

"I'm not mad. And so what, that still doesn't make him gay."

"Come on, don't be like that."

"He could have lots of reasons to ask. He could just be curious. Same goes for the kissing."

"Kakuzu."

"Tell me about the situation. What happened?"

"I know you don't wanna hear it."

"This isn't about me. I'm proving a point!" Ouch. I did not like that tone Kakuzu was using. The fact that he sounded so angry and that they were fighting again almost made me forget what the conversation was actually about.

"Well..." Hidan began carefully. "I had a party and I asked him if he wanted to kiss because he started asking these weird questions. I was just joking, of course. But then later that evening, he took me up on it. I hadn't seen it coming and we were both drunk so I just went along. He bailed out pretty quickly, though."

"That doesn't prove a thing. He was drunk, he's the curious type and it doesn't sound like he has ever really been exposed to this gay 'phenomenon.' It's nothing. Don't put anything into it. He regretted kissing you, right? Shouldn't that be proof enough? Besides, why the hell would you ever ask him if he wanted to make out with you? You know how he is."

Hey, how am I? Please continue that sentence, Kakuzu!

"I didn't know him very well back then, but I guess it was pretty stupid of me. He always over thinks everything and yet he always manages to overlook the consequences his actions will have." They both laughed quietly.

So they are loosening the tension between them on my expense? Happy I could help. Not.

"But seriously. I don't think he's gay. Even if he is trying out things, I bet he's just confused. He's probably in some kind of weird, inverted denial face. I'm sure he doesn't even know what he's doing. Just let it be. He'll figure it out himself eventually. Don't get involved. I bet you'll just end up confusing him even more."

What the hell were they talking about? They spoke of me like I was some child that was incapable of taking care of itself and stupid and... I did not want to hear anymore. What did they know about me anyway? It was not like Hidan was any better himself. He claimed that he only fooled around with men for fun, but all of a sudden he started dating a guy and their relationship might come to an end because he does not dare to tell anyone about it. If anyone is confused and stupid, it's him. Not me.

I walked back to the front door, opened it and then shut it close as loudly as I could before walking inside the kitchen.

Hidan was the first one I saw. He was sitting at the table with a cup of caffeine free coffee in one hand. Kakuzu stood by the sink, his hip leaning against the counter with a wet washing-up brush in his hand. Their attention turned to me.

"Hey, Iruka. We were just talking about you." Kakuzu caught me off guard when saying that and I was afraid the surprised look on my face would give me away. There was no way I could have expected such honesty.

"Is that so?" I tried my best to play it cool even though that had never been my strongest card. "You're aware that defaming isn't nice, right?" Hidan did not even twitch one muscle. He was stone cold.

So was Kakuzu. He put on a very convincing smile and tipped his head to the side. "Tell me, Iruka, have you been eavesdropping on us?" It was obvious that he was being sarcastic, but he hit spot on and that frightened me a bit.

"Perhaps," I replied and started unpacking the plastic bags with the help of Kakuzu.

As the tan man walked past me, he let his fingers play with my hair for a split second. "I was just telling Hidan how cute you look with that ponytail. That's all." Someone had to give Kakuzu some credit for his assuring ability. That man was good. If I had not personally listened in on their conversation, I would never have guessed. And that was in spite of his rather lame excuse. Like my ponytail would ever randomly come up in people's conversations when I was not even around.

"Thanks, I guess."

Kakuzu was acting so normal, like he had not just insulted me behind my back only a minute earlier. Hidan, on the other hand, he was observing me. My every move. I could not even count the times he gave me the elevator look. It was like he was searching for something. Searching for proof.

"Thank you for going shopping, Iruka. I would've taken you if I'd been home before you left. I'll take the rest." Kakuzu patted my shoulder and smiled. That damn fake smile.

"No problem. It's not like I would wanna ride with you in that piece of garbage anyway." My words were a little harder than I had intended and Kakuzu seemed a little hurt. Not much, but the emotion was there. Whatever, Hidan and I joked about his car all the time. He should be used to it by then. And he should not stand there looking all hurt when he had just said those things about me. Just because he did not know I knew it, he still knew it himself. He should feel at least some shame.

I walked out of the kitchen, not being able to hide the annoyed look on my face anymore. Hidan noticed.

Almost a minute went by after I had left before they spoke again.

"Did I say something?" Kakuzu asked.

"I don't think so."

Silence.

"But you have to admit that ponytail is kinda gay," Hidan said suddenly and I could not help but bring a hand up to my hair.

"Really? No, I think he looks cute with it." Cute? Gay?

In the bathroom, I looked at myself in the mirror. First with the high ponytail. Then with loose hair. Then with a regular ponytail. Then loose again. As I put my hair into a ponytail once again, I wondered why I had never given my hair much thought. Did a ponytail really make me look cute and gay at that? Maybe, I could not really tell. I had always worn my hair that way and there was a time where me being cute or gay just was not something I would ever see myself as.

The high ponytail got messed up and I had to pull out the hair elastic and try again. And again. And again. And again. Then the hair elastic broke.

"Damn it!" I hissed through my teeth, looking down at the snapped fabric covered rubber. I would have to go and buy some more. How troublesome. Almost too troublesome.

oOo

I sat in the living room when Hidan went to answer the door. I had not even bothered to be polite and go open the door for him. He could do that himself. It was his house, after all. You could easily hear Hidan's and the other's conversation from where I sat.

"Hey, didn't expect to see you here today. What's up?" Hidan greeted and what a greeting it was. If I had been the visitor, I would not feel very welcome after that.

"I'm here to see Iruka. He isn't picking up his phone. Is something wrong with him?" I jumped up from the chair when recognizing the voice answering Hidan. Why had he come to talk to me? And I had not received any messages or calls.

Quickly, I tapped my pants' pockets. Maybe I had not received any calls nor messages because my cell had been lying in my bed room the entire day. Well done, Iruka, very well done.

"Sure, come in, Kakashi." I was panicking. What should I do? Hidan that idiot had invited him in without asking me first. What if I did not want to talk to him? I guess I did, but I did not know what to say. I had not prepared a speech. I had not thought of anything to say. Should I apologize? Tell him it was a joke? Beg him to give me a chance?

I desperately looked for a place to hide, but there were not any places where they would not spot me right away. And there was no time to run to another room because I would have to go out the same door as Kakashi was just about to enter from. Damn it!

My hand grabbed my face as I tried to calm myself down and get my breathing under control. I wanted Kakashi to like me, but how could I even hope for him to pay me any positive attention when I was acting like a nerve wreck. How did my clothes even look? What about my hair? I was not ready for him at all. Why did he have to come so suddenly without any warning?!

"Iruka?" I removed my palm and looked at Kakashi whose eyes were widened to the point where it had to hurt. He stood looking at me for a moment, but as he slowly gained his composure, he walked over to me. "Are you okay? You look pale."

"I'm fine," I replied flatly and took a small step back. I did not like him being so close to me. Especially not when Hidan was watching us.

"Are you sure?" he asked again.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm okay, it's just a small headache," I lied and scratched the back of my neck uncomfortably. I still felt like flipping out, but I could not show Kakashi how nervous I was. I wanted to appear confident. But there was no doubt that he looked right past my transparent defenses. My efforts were resulted in nothing.

Kakashi looked at Hidan and then back at me. "I want to talk to you, but maybe it's best if we go somewhere more private." Hidan did not get the hint. At least he did not act upon it.

"O-Okay," I stuttered and prayed to Kami that I would be able to hold the stuttering to a minimum. I thought I was over that phase. Apparently, it was not so easy to shake off bad habits. My returning ill-temper should have proved that to me already.

As we walked past Hidan, I felt his eyes grow more and more suspicious with every step we took. He was watching me like a hawk. Had Kakuzu not made him abandon his theory? Did he still believe I was gay? Even worse, had he guessed who it was that fascinated me so much?

I felt like letting out a deep breath when we entered my bedroom, but as Kakashi closed the door, I felt how my heart started pumping faster and faster against my worried chest. What was it he wanted to talk to me about? Had he maybe... changed his mind? No, I should always keep myself from creating false hope. It was the dumbest idea to do something like that and I knew it. But I just could not help myself. Was it really a confession that was awaiting me? Kami, stop it, Iruka! It might as well be the exact opposite!

Our eyes locked and I saw a small hint of a smile. But it was very faint.

"Sorry if my surprised look offended you, I just didn't expect you to look like that." I was not sure what he meant, but I supposed it was the hair he was referring to.

I ran my fingers through the short strands, tried my best to smile back and answered him with a quiet chuckle. "Do you like it?"

My trip back to the village had not exactly gone as planned. Let us just say that I took a detour around the hairdresser and afterward, my hair was no longer able to go up in a ponytail. The haircut I had gotten was inspired by the famous actor, Miura Haruma, only I had a side cut and the hair in the back was a little shorter. The hairdresser told me that it was a very popular haircut at the moment and that it would fit me perfectly. I guess it did make me look younger while being less cute and more tough and manly. It was something completely different, that is for sure.

Kakashi took a closer look, which made me a little uncomfortable. "It suits you," he said, taking a step back again.

I did not dare to meet his gaze anymore. The tension between us was worse than ever and that alone sent ice cold shivers down my spine. He was not there to talk about my hair, obviously, so why could not I just shut my mouth and let him reveal his agenda already? Did I really want my trembling fingers to go numb first?

He went over and sat on the bed, clearing his throat in the process. I did not follow, only turned towards him.

"I wanna apologize," he said, clearly feeling as uncomfortable as I.

"I think that's my line." My statement made him chuckle lightly. You rarely got to see Hatake Kakashi that nervous and I did not know if I should take it as a good or bad sign. But despite my fear of a confrontation with him, I think I took it pretty cool. So far, at least.

The soft nest of spikey silvery hair tipped back and two gray eyes looked up at me. He seemed so serious, but not even his mask could hide that troubled smile. "I'm really sorry that I left like that. I was just... well... overwhelmed." It was patent that he did not want to go into details about the previous episode and I was only thankful to that.

"You don't have to apologize. I understand."

"Okay. That's good."

The awkward silence came sooner than expected and it almost seemed to bother Kakashi worse than me. His thumbs were circling around each other so fast that I was afraid he was going to make them galled.

I scratched my arm and looked down at the floor, listening as the rain began hitting against the window. In a way, it was calming. At least something was there to remind me that it was not some bad silent movie I was in the middle of, but that it was actual reality.

My eyes traveled to Kakashi's uneasy form and they rested on him for a while. I wanted to say something, but I could not get any words over my dead lips. Maybe that was because what I really felt like doing was communicating through body language with him so we could keep quiet and avoid any awkward conversations. But Kakashi had no desire to communicate with me that way. That was saved for Anko. If only I could say or do something to change his mind.

"Iruka?" He looked at me and I signaled that he had my attention. "I... I also wanna apologize for something else. I-I'm sorry if I ever sent you any mixed signals. I never meant to mislead you like that."

That was a pretty head on rejection. The message came through loud and clear. But I could not just accept it like that, could I? He had given me mixed signals, indeed. In fact, he was the one who started all of it. If he had just kept his hands to himself that night, I would never have begun to question my own sexuality. Furthermore, not start to question my feelings towards him. Whether if I wanted to accept it or not, I would probably never be able to speak up anyway.

We kept quiet for a minute and Kakashi finally realized that I had nothing to reply. So he continued, "Are you sure this is how you feel?"

"Huh?" That caught my attention. It sounded oddly familiar. "What do you mean?"

"Are you sure this is how you feel? I mean... you know... about me?"

My fist clenched around a handful of my shirt. Not you too, Kakashi.

"Please, don't ask me to answer that," I responded quietly and lowered my head with opprobrium.

"But I need to know, Iruka! I'm not even sure what the hell happened that evening. I wanna know what you're thinking. What exactly is it you're feeling?"

I felt so ashamed. How could he even consider asking me such a thing? I had showed him how I felt, what more could he ask for? Saying it out loud was an entirely different thing.

"Come on, answer me. You know I've nothing against Hidan and Kakuzu so there's nothing to be afraid of," he said and I looked at him in astonishment. "Don't look so surprised. It's obvious that they're more than just friends and I know you know too."

"Their relationship is none of my business." My cheeks were heated in a mix of anger and embarrassment.

"I just wanna know where we stand, Iruka. What is it you want from me?" He was frustrating me just as much as I was frustrating him. "You want me to leave Anko for you?" He was mocking me. It was like he was talking to a child that did not understand that the world just did not work that way.

"Kakashi, stop."

"Say something, damn it. I'm sorry I can't give you what you want, but that's just who I am. I'm not gay."

"Shut up."

"No, I won't! I wanna make sure that you're not making a mistake here. You told me..." he paused and I glanced at him. It looked like he was debating whether or not he should continue the sentence. We got eye contact. "You told me that I reminded you of Minato, right? Perhaps-"

"Get out." He had crossed the line.

"What?"

"I said get out!" I grabbed his arm and jerked him to his feet, pushing him towards the door.

"Iruka, wait, I don't understand? What did I do?"

He was about to say the last thing I ever expected to hear from him – and that was besides from being the last thing I ever wanted to hear from exactly him. Why, Kakashi? Why did all of you think of me as some child that could not think for itself? I never acted before thinking. I did not over think things. I was not stupid. I could actually think for myself. I was not a child. And most importantly, I sure as hell was able to interpret my own feelings. Who were they to psychoanalyze me?

"Just get out!" I shouted right in his face. He seemed frightened and it had to be either because of the furious expression I wore or the enraged tone in my voice.

"Iruka?" He was stunned and probably tongue-tied. At least I figured that was the case since he did not say anything afterward even though I gave him the chance.

My chest raised up and down along the deep breaths I took. I tried to look at him calmly, but there was no way I could ever hope to succeed in doing so at the time.

"I wanna be alone," I said without looking at him as I closed the door. I did not move for a minute because I wanted to make sure he was not going to try and reenter. When it did not sound like he was standing on the other side of the door anymore, I sat down on the edge of the bed.

My head was spinning. Why did I have this feeling of something being stuck in my throat?

The rain was heavier than before and sometimes it even sounded like it was going to shatter the pane. It was kind of cold even under my thick bed cover. Probably because I was the only person to heat up my spot on the bed.

I pulled the cover all the way up to my ears and closed my eyes. I needed some time to collect my mind.

oOo

The evening came and I did not even notice until the sun had completely hidden itself behind the horizon. I had not gotten much sleep because Hidan constantly came to check up on me.

First, he wanted to know what happened between Kakashi and me while we had been alone in my room. I guess I could only expect him to want to know. After all, I doubt Kakashi had left the house unseen. He probably did not wear a face that satisfied Hidan's curiosity.

The second time, he came to ask if I was hungry. It was the same with the third and forth time he interrupted my sleep.

"Dinners ready. Sure you don't want some?"

"I put the leftovers in the fridge if you get hungry."

Luckily, there was no a fifth time. I knew he was just worried and well, he could not lie about the fact that he was curious too, but I was not any better than him so I could not really blame him for that. Still, he was getting on my last nerve. No, I did not want any dinner. I did not want to sit with Kakuzu and him while they kept on fighting. I did not want his suspicious eyes on me while I was eating. I did not want them judging me. I did not want them analyzing me. All I wanted to do was sleep.

A lightning struck and I noted that it was still raining. Why did we have to put up with such depressing weather in the summer?

With a sigh, I rose from my bed and went to the bathroom. I was planning on brushing my teeth, take a leak and go back to bed, but then a fight came in the way. The thing was just that it was not my fight – it was Hidan and Kakuzu's.

"I'm sick and tired of this, Hidan. Stop calling our problems trifles and trivialities!"

"You're tired of fighting? Well, I'm not the one always yelling! And don't glare at me like that. I'm very well aware that I'm loud too, but if I wanna be heard, it seems you leave me no choice."

"You think insulting me is helping your case?"

"Maybe? You tell me. Aren't insults the only thing you react on?"

"I'm warning you, Hidan. Keep this up and I'm out."

"What now? I crossed the line?"

"Isn't that obvious?!"

"Then why do you always push me to this limit?!"

"Because you won't listen to what I'm saying!"

"Then say something. What is it you want from me?!"

"See what I'm saying? You never listen. I told you like a million times already!"

"I don't see why that's so important to you?"

"Kami, and you're the one talking about people being confused, you ignoramus. Why are we even together, huh? Do you even know what it is you want? Is there something you need to do or what's the reason why you shoved me back into the closet? If you don't want me, fine, then say so and I'll leave. If you do, then grow a pair and go talk to Zabu-"

There was a loud smack that made me drop my tooth brush. Why did they suddenly become so quiet?

Someone moved around quickly outside the bathroom and soon I heard the front door shut close before an engine, that sounded an awful a lot like Kakuzu's car's, was turned on.

I finished making myself ready for bed and walked out off the bathroom. Hidan stood a couple of meters away from me, his eyes colder than I had ever experienced them before and I figured it was best to just leave him alone.

I went back to my bedroom where I paused for a moment, reflecting over what I had just witnessed. Hidan seemed very upset. In fact, I had never seen him like that. So it was finally over between him and Kakuzu? It surprised me even if I had prepared for their break up for a long time. They just appeared so happy whenever they were together. Dare I say they were sort of perfect for each other? The only thing that ever came between them was Zabuza. That is all. One single man. Was that really enough to destroy their entire relationship?

In a way, I was in the same position. Well, at least it could be that I was in the same position. I was not really sure, to be honest. Kakashi did not want to leave Anko, but what exactly did that mean? Could it simply be that he loved her and was not gay? Or was he, like Hidan, not able to admit to himself that he was gay? I could be putting too much thought into it, but I just could not settle with thinking that it was as simple as he made it sound. We had not had sex, but we had done stuff together. I wanted him to want more. I truly did.

But even if I wished that things had not turned out the way they had, I was still pretty pissed at him. I would need some time to forget what he had said. What he had implied. I guess it is only normal to be angry with the one you love once in a while.

I pulled off my shirt and stood with it in my hand for a second as I considered what I had just admitted.

Did I really love him? I was not sure what love was, but people told me you knew you were in love when you could not stop thinking about the person. When thousands of butterflies fluttered around in your stomach whenever you laid eyes on your chosen one. When your heart throbbed harder than usual and when you could not sleep properly at night. That was when you know that you were in love.

The door opened and I heard footsteps behind me.

A kiss was placed on the side of my neck. I tipped my head to the opposite side, closed my eyes and let it happen.

I saw Kakashi. I heard him. I smelled him. I tasted him. I felt him.

His arms wrapped around me and oh, how I loved his rough embrace.

Our tongues played for dominance as he obviously won when lying me down on the bed and tugging off my pants.

Moaning, I let my hand travel from the back of his neck and down. He was not wearing any pants either.

My tightly closed eyes prepared for what was to come and I took a strong hold around his neck, his forehead meeting with mine. I held my breath and he gasped in my ear.

All alarm bells in my body started ringing on the same time, sending a dangerous amount of adrenaline through my body. It made me strong enough to push him off, but I did not. I let him be. I let him.

His back was sweaty and so was mine. No wonder with the fierce pace he had set. I bit my lip when he sank his teeth into me, but I could not hold back the moan that was waiting to escape in the back of my throat.

"Say his name," he whispered as he spread my legs wider to make better room for himself.

I shook my head without opening my eyes when hearing the wrong voice.

"Say it," he repeated as he did things to me that made the left side of my face twitch in pleasure.

"Ka..."

"Say it."

"Ka-kashi." I was rewarded to a great extent and it made me pant heavily, made me want more. "Kakashi." I would not be able to hide it from him anymore anyway and his touch – as long as my eyes were closed – it made me want to let go and enjoy the moment.

"Thank you," he purred and kissed my ear before finishing.

"Where're you going?" I sat up in my bed, hiding away certain parts of myself with the bedcover. He looked at me over his shoulder while buttoning his pants.

Those reddish eyes, they did not seem as cold anymore. In fact, he was smiling, faintly, though whole-heartedly.

"Don't expect me home tonight. There's something I need to do." He beamed me a smile and I could not help but send him one back. Then he left.

I stood by the window when Hidan got inside his car. Never in my life had I imagine to do something like that with him.

I sat down at my writing desk; elbows on the desk and my head resting on my fist. Being with him was not a particularly good experience, but as long as I imagined Kakashi, I felt it took away some of the pain and awkwardness. If only life was that easy.

oOo

The sun had started rising once I awoke. My back hurt and I was not sure if it was Hidan's fault or the fact that I had slept leaned over my desk.

I blinked a couple of times when the rays of lights blinded me and it was not until then that I noticed that my cell vibrated beside me. It was on silent.

A quick yawn passed before I put the cell to my ear.

"Hello?" I asked tiredly, looking out of the window. Hidan's car was still gone. Hopefully, that meant he had made up with Kakuzu.

"Is this Umino Iruka speaking?"

"Uh, yes?" I took a look at the display to check out the caller ID. It was not one I knew.

"This is Orochimaru from Nagoya University Hospital. There's been an accident."

oOoOoOoOoOo

Dum, dum, dum... Okay, not very harrowing xD

Look who's back with a brand new chapter! Yay, I did it! I finally did it! After so many tears and blood and sweat... soooo much sweat (referring to a Naruto cosplay act on youtube xD).
I'm happy that I'm finally able to post this on FF! Especially because I'm actually quite pleased with this chapter. Oh, and not to sound extremely arrogant, but some of the scenes in this chapter might appear at bit complicated to some. At least I think the last part with Hidan might. But I'm sure you'll understand and if you don't, just ask, and if you have critique, don't hesitate to throw it at me^^

Not long ago, I finished a short story called "Nii-chan" that's about Itachi and Sasuke. This story is an exclusive to Anything Else? so if anyone is interested in finding out what Itachi is like when not being around Iruka and co., that's the story for you. Oh, and it's actually my personal favorite – never thought I would be able to say something like that with such certainty, but it really is the best story I've done so far. Anyway, that's pretty irrelevant, I guess xD

Also, if anyone is wondering how Iruka looks like now with his short hair, I drew a picture of him and posted it on my dA. Here's a link: h-t-t-p-:-/-/-fav-.-me-/-d5fybok (without the dashes of course^^)

otherwise, you can find the link to my dA on my profile and you can also find the direct link to the picture itself.

Oh, and Orochimaru is kinda used because my friend requested him xD I just needed a male doctor and when she said Orochimaru, I figured it was not such a bad idea. He could totally pull the doctor image off xD Honestly, I would never have thought of using him myself, lol.

Have a great day :D!