Leaves in the Wind

Chapter Two: One Shot

Night had fallen on the relatively peaceful Konoha. The moon was high and ripe in the sky, casting healthy rays on late-night pedestrians. A gentle breeze shifted through the village occasionally, but other than nature's movements, there was no other disturbance.

Kakashi and Iruka found themselves in a little odd-ball restaurant that existed on the outskirts of Konoha. 'Itadekimasu' was its name, though it specialized in the popular brands of rice-wine rather than any particular dish of food. The Jounin had offered to pay for the drinks, since it was his students who had caused the mess in the Missions Department that day.

They each had had three small bottles of sake so far. Somehow, Kakashi had managed to mysteriously drink without taking off his mask. Out of curiosity, Iruka had tried to keep an eye on the Jounin, but to no avail could he catch a glimpse of the man's features. The Chuunin thought he might have seen a flash of cheek at one point, but the buzz Kakashi managed to serve up became quite distracting.

"Hey, Iruka-san," the copy-nin set down his cup and threw a glance in the teacher's direction. The jounin had been silent for some time, apparently lost in deep thought. Finally, he was going to speak to Iruka. "You've got a spot on your vest."

"Eh?" Iruka squinted, plucking at his shirt with vague curiosity. So he did. "Huh." He toyed with the zipper, drawing it down slowly as his mind drifted away again. Shrugging the vest off and watching it fall through hazed eyes; Iruka seized his cup and downed it. "Spotting a spot."

There was a palpable silence between the two before the teacher regarded his senior with a rueful grin. "Thank you so much, Kakashi-san. I'm usually the poor fool stuck with the bill when I'm out with Naruto. But he deserves it, doesn't he?" His hand was already roving over the counter, searching for more drink while he laughed. Relaxing like this felt so good. The week thus far was a welcome respite from the previous work-load; Jounin, Chuunin and just about every ninja in the village had been in the Missions Office with bloody or mangled missions reports turned in two days too late.

Kakashi's lips twitched upwards, but the Chuunin didn't notice it through the thin fabric. The Jounin picked up the bottle and refilled Iruka's glass. "Yes, yes. Naruto-kun can be a handful occasionally, but he does have his moments." The bottle clicked when it was set back down on the wooden bar. "You don't get out much, do you Iruka-san?"

"No way. It's work or ramen with Naruto-kun." Iruka whirled around on his bar-stool, threw his head back and pointed up at the moon. "I had a student once, whose Chakara strength fluctuated with the phases of the moon. Another who could only operate at night." As he finished speaking, he took another long gulp of sake. "Ninjutsu, genjutsu, taijutsu, fuin jutsu, hiden jutsu, kekki genkai. I've seen all of them but I wonder, Kakashi-san, what any of this means to civilians."

"They know nothing of it," Kakashi answered simply, "though it could mean their lives." The sensei couldn't help but be slightly amused by a buzzed Iruka. Honestly, he'd never spent much time with Naruto's former teacher before now. Sure, there were passing glances and exchanged greetings on the occasion, but he never felt a need to converse. Iruka always seemed to be a rather dull person, and where that might have been the perfect acquaintance for Kakashi, it wasn't very stimulating. "Does it bother you?" Kakashi refilled his own glass.

"Does it bother me?" Iruka parroted. "Hnh. If I'm worrying about it, then I suppose it does." At that, the jounin chuckled. Iruka turned narrowed eyes on Kakashi. "I'm going to speculate here, but I'm fairly certain you find the fact that I'm buzzed entertaining."

"Mm," Kakashi grinned, chuckles dwindling into light speech. "That may not be the word for it." The copy-nin lifted a finger to his head and scratched at his temple. The wrinkles in his eye deepened.

"Hysterical." His companion countered, watching the shadow of a bird pass across the radiant moon. "You know, Kakashi-san, the team is probably finished with my desk by now."

Kakashi nodded, pushing the rice-wine bottle to the side and placing his elbows on the bar. "Would you like to check on it, sensei?" The title, coming from Kakashi, had an almost mocking tone in it, but of course, it was said so casually that one could never tell.

Nevertheless, this resulted in a glare, toned down from alcohol consumption but fierce nonetheless. "Not finished drinking," Iruka muttered. Again, the civilian issue was ravaging his brain. He now felt it was Kakashi's responsibility to pay for all drinks up until the point Iruka passed out. Which, he noted sourly, he'd wait to do at his own apartment as losing dignity in front of the legendary Sharingan no Kakashi would result in immediate suicide. He'd rather not have Naruto hearing about something like that…or the rest of the village, at that. 'THE Iruka-sensei got smashed last night: sank like a stone.' No. No thanks.

He silently toasted to commonsense and commoners, adding an offhanded, "Kampai."

"Kampai," Kakashi concurred softly. He found himself wishing Asuma-san was here to see this. The Chuunin had developed a blush in his cheeks that nearly drowned out the horizontal scar on his face. The Jounin could hold his liquor easily; however, he'd stopped drinking after the last glass. Kakashi had long ago discovered he didn't like the sensation of loosing control over his actions in the slightest.

He wondered how long Iruka would have before he passed out. The Academy teacher was already swaying gently in his bar stool. It would only be a matter of time before he toppled out of it. Kakashi refilled Iruka's glass. Only then did the question occur to him: when had he lost his social morals? Here he was, getting a fellow sensei drunk off his ass for his own amusement. Well, at least now that he realized it, morals, indeed, weren't a problem.

Twelve minutes, thirty-three seconds later found Iruka still upright and surprisingly stable for a drunk man. He was swaying dangerously but he miraculously held his balance without assistance. Several more glasses of sake and Iruka was laughing at passing customers, pointing out students he recognized or fellow teachers. It seemed Iruka carried a fair amount of useful blackmail with him concerning half of Konoha's population: much to Kakashi's amusement. Not that the copy-nin would exploit any of it, of course not, Iruka-sensei. He'd never do that.

"-couldn't bare to do without it." The man slammed a fist down on the counter. "Said I couldn't hold my own in water, regardless of my namesake. I shoved him in. He nearly drowned in the river, caught in a current, you see? But I managed to use jutsu, got him out okay." Iruka snorted shortly. "Lost his clothes somehow. Whole team just staring at him. Hahahaha…" Iruka offered Kakashi his cup. "Eh, you haven't been drinking Kakashi-kun!"

Kakashi honestly laughed. It had been literally years since he'd heard that honorific attached to his name. "Iruka-san, you've had enough sake for one night." The grin was still there as he gently lifted the cup out of the man's hand. "The bottle is empty, and as much as I would like to, I'm afraid I won't afford another."

This seemed to depress Iruka, who sighed dejectedly, automatically reaching for his cup. "Naaah, I can hold it." Which was translated by Kakashi as, 'Iruka-sensei is going to have the hangover from hell tomorrow morning'. When the Chuunin realized Kakashi wasn't going to give it back, he frowned, scratching at his nose. "Think I'm going to check on my desk now…" Had to think for a moment and remember where that was. "Was I saying something about the moon earlier?"

"Come on, let's check on your desk." Kakashi stood up and helped Iruka scoot off of the stool. The Chuunin swayed but demanded that he hold his own. Kakashi shrugged and placed his hands in his pockets as they trudged off towards the Missions Department. It was ten minutes until closing, but that apparently didn't seem to concern either of the ninja.

There was sudden movement above. As both instantly glanced up, they watched a bird fly by and they paused, tracking it until it finally vanished beyond sight. "I hate the moon." Iruka stated as though it were completely relevant to a bird flying overhead.

Kakashi snorted once, humoring the drunk. "And why's that?"

Iruka's head was tilted upward and the slur relented for a moment as he whispered, "Moonlight makes the faces of the dead seem real…" Here, Kakashi looked over at him, slightly more interested than he had been before. Iruka continued. "It….makes them seem…alive…" He struggled to keep up with this line of thought. "I know ninja who almost lost their lives being revealed by moonlight…" A step was missed and Iruka stumbled. "Ahh, the faces…"

Kakashi was a bit more silent than he had been moments before. Something subdued filtered over his hidden expression.

A warm hand strayed to Kakashi's shoulder. "Their faces, Kakashi-kun…"

Kakashi halted and his eye snapped to Iruka. He delicately removed the Chuunin's hand, but kept it in his so it wouldn't fall back. "I know, Iruka-san," he mumbled.

"Nah, it's Iruka-SENSEI." The Chuunin turned a lazy eye on Kakashi. "And y'missin' the point, Kashi…Kakashi-kun, the moon-" Words were forming and dropping away. He tried again. "Kakashi-kun, the moon…I hate it because…" Iruka was struggling to take another couple of steps. "It knows a ninja's secrets."

With those slipping words, he passed out.

---

Iruka awoke with a glaring light in his eyes. The afternoon sun in combination with a tremendous hangover resulted in a groan of discomfort and a pounding headache. It took a moment for the situation to sink in. What he'd said and done last night, the last thing he remembered…and then now. He was in his own apartment, in his bed, in his night clothing. How had he gotten here? The memory of last night was rather fuzzy, but in one word, it came to him.

"Good morning!"

Was that Kakashi? Hatake Kakashi, the copy-nin? He peeled an eyelid up, found the answer to be yes, and immediately shut it again. "Don't talk so loudly…" Iruka blinked then squeezed his eyes shut tightly, lightly massaging his scalp. Ah, this would be why he didn't drink that often. "Kakashi-san…what are you doing in my apartment? And why am I wearing these?" He distinctly remembered passing out with his Chuunin uniform on.

The copy-nin shrugged. There was a clink of glass as water was placed on the bed stand. "Ah, that." He spoke as if it were a topic that could have been tactfully avoided. "You passed out in the street. I supposed I should help out."

"Thoughtful," Iruka muttered into the glass. "Next time, just let me lie there." His words from last night served as fodder for his headache today. It was embarrassing, the things he'd said to Kakashi. Saying 'I hate the moon' to a man like Kakashi really made him want to stuff a kunai down his throat. "Ur, Naruto-kun?"

Kakashi gave a meditative look to open space. "Oh yeah…. I knew I forgot something…"

It was really starting to bother Iruka that Kakashi had undressed him, searched his apartment to find the appropriate sleep-wear, and then slipped him under the blankets adorning his futon. It seemed like the sort of thing a friend would do, helping the other while they were quite cheerfully intoxicated. Was the Jounin someone he could consider 'friend'?

An analytical gaze swept over Naruto's current teacher. He didn't have anything against Kakashi. Some respect. Some irritation, due in large part to late missions reports, lousy excuses and some random innuendos passed from time to time. Other than that, nothing. He suspected Kakashi had also considered forming a sensei-alliance with him, though it was likely out of courtesy and probably hopes of seeing Iruka drunk again. It wasn't surprising. To someone such as Kakashi, boring old Iruka-sensei made a better acquaintance than a friend.

Friend. Right. Naruto. "I'm sure he's off sparring with Sasuke-kun somewhere…" Ooouch ow ow ow… "Damn it, Kakashi-san! Stop moving around! You're making it worse!"

The Jounin blinked. "I'm standing still…."

Great. "W… what time is it?"

Kakashi smiled. "Twelve in the afternoon."

"Ahhh, class! Shit…" Iruka sat up slowly, clutching desperately at his throbbing head. "Aren't you late, Kakashi-sensei?"

"I'm always late, but not today." An amused grin. "You weren't at the Mission's Office. Team seven doesn't have a Mission yet."

This comment made him realize something. "Kakashi-san, I've noticed you only come to the Missions Office when I'm on duty." The Chuunin kept his head in his hands but he chanced looking up to pose the silent question 'why?'.

Kakashi paused and then shrugged. "Naruto-kun likes to visit you."

Caught. "Yes, he does. But he's never with you in the Office."

This placed Kakashi in a difficult position. "Iruka-sensei…." He started carefully, "You do realize that in this moment in time, there are thirty Academy Students locked inside a room with no supervision and nothing to do?" Verbal replacement no jutsu-

-countered by Academy-sensei no jutsu. Iruka wouldn't fall for that one. Getting the kids under control when he got to the Academy wouldn't be too much of a problem. Doing it while suffering from a hangover, however, meant sheer hell...for the students; he could put up with it himself. "Yes." He stated rather directly, "So, why is Naruto-kun never with you?"

Kakashi merely shrugged.

"Kakashi-san?"

"Iruka-sensei?"

"Get out of my room."

"Of course." The copy-nin smiled, pocketed his hands, and whistled as he exited.

Umber eyes followed him out the door. "Ass."

Needless to say, Academy students that survived the day would whisper of it for years to come as the day 'Iruka-sensei went crazy and pinned a student to the wall with thirty kunai'.

---

"YOU'RE LATE!" Naruto and Sakura screeched as Kakashi entered with his usual slow stroll and Icha Icha Paradise in hand. Sasuke merely grunted. It was their usual meeting place next to the forest edge by the bridge. The day was bright and clear, easily revealing Kakashi's lazy, almost tired look as if he'd stayed up late last night.

"Well, you know how it is," Kakashi said slowly, glancing up from his book. He pointed over his shoulder as if to explain, "A black cat crossed my path and-"

A blond blur shot out of the trees and the Naruto before him grinned, exploding in a puff of smoke. "LIAR!" The boy landed on Kakashi, crowing enthusiastically. Yeah! He brought Sensei down! "Did you see that, Sasuke-bastard?! Hahaaha- ah?"

Naruto was pointedly straddling a log. Kakashi sat down behind Naruto, leaning against him like a backrest. He continued reading. "See what, Naruto-kun?"

Sasuke held an amused grin.

Sakura pointed at the boy. "Naruto-kun, you idiot! You can't trick Kakashi-sensei like that!"

"Waaugh! No fair!" The boy pushed against Kakashi, pouting profusely. "We did all that work and we never got to show Iruka-sensei!"

"Yeah," Sakura said, attention diverted from Nartuo to her sensei. "We stayed until closing time hoping you'd show up."

"Iruka-san will see the desk after the Academy School lets out." Kakashi snapped his book shut as a thought occurred to him. "As a matter of fact, we can go and see him."

Sasuke grunted and kicked at a rock. It bounced across the bridge and splashed in the river. "Academy School is already out, Sensei."

Kakashi pocketed the book and stood up. "Is that right? Great! Then perhaps we can collect a mission."