Leaves in the Wind

Chapter Eighteen: Intoxicated

Starting the school day with a hangover was like sitting in a personal hell. Every child's voice was a metaphysical laceration to Iruka's brain. He knew when Kakashi had urged him to stay longer to Asuma's party, he should have picked up and left immediately. The memory of the "get-together" also brought back images of his poor, corrupted former student, Hashimoto Yasuo. This only served to worsen his migraine.

By the time he reached the Missions Office he was ten minutes late, and every Shinobi within a ten foot radius was struck with the urge to immediately begin their work with such intensity, that a parade of missing nin couldn't have snapped them from their concentration. Even Asuma momentarily hesitated before greeting the still hung-over and irritable Chuunin, and today he lacked the gall to say anything more than 'Yo.'

That was exactly how Iruka wanted it.

Thus, two hours passed before anything eventful occurred during his shift. The Third had popped in for a surprise visit, instantaneously lightening the atmosphere. However, Iruka's headache would not let up without a desperate battle so his words were short, precise and impersonal. Ebisu, who was often seen tailing the third as of late, glared at Iruka and then leapt into a scorning lecture. The Jounin's experience at the Academy hadn't gone very well, and he completely blamed the Chuunin for each and every wound he'd collected from the hellish brats he was forced to teach. He also held Iruka responsible for the nightmares he claimed to have. The man rambled on about his recent insomnia, his embarrassing 'nicknames'-

The Hokage dragged him out before blood could be shed.

Asuma wisely decided against commenting on how violent Iruka had become lately. Primarily because if he mentioned that, he would have to mention it was after Kakashi had been repeatedly seen in Iruka's company.

"Asuma-san," Iruka muttered from his place at the long desk. He was intensely shuffling through papers.

The Jounin in question removed his cigarette, looking cautiously over to the Chuunin. "Ne?"

The stiff muttering persisted, "Is he staying at your place?"

This 'he' Iruka spoke of- "Who?" The intensity of the glare was physically painful. Well, he liked to play with fire,-

"Asuma-san…"

-but not so much that he'd risk third-degree burns... "Yes. For tonight." Asuma shrugged, chucking the cigarette at another desk worker. Normally he wasn't so bold; he would have settled for Genma's head had the man been present. "Getting sick of him?" He was met with silence. Well now, that was interesting. "Silence speaks volumes."

Iruka's fist closed over a scroll.

Asuma prepared for the worst. "Think we might go out drinking tonight. Hear Itadakimasu opens early. Maybe time for another 'get together' after." He wiggled his brows at Iruka, not bothering to conceal an evident chuckle. "Want to come?"

"NO!" The scroll pelted through the air and smacked Asuma upside the head. It bounced across the ground and rolled to the wall.

The Jounin picked it up, off-handedly rubbing his skull. He unrolled it to see what it was. "Nakura's mission report? Merchant trail…well that's dull." He tossed it aside.

Iruka was just about to throw something else when a soft voice interrupted the spar. "Excuse me…" Iruka's head dangerously jerked to the side and he looked up to see Hashimoto Yasuo.

Asuma was a happy man. "Yo, Yasuo-kun!"

"Yasuo-kun…"

Iruka and Yasuo exchanged uncomfortable glances, remembering last night's drunken encounter. Yasuo blushed. "Um… Iruka-sensei, I need another mission, and all of the other employees are busy…" He glanced around the room. Since Iruka's violent outburst at Ebisu, the entire department had been on edge. Apparently, they were attempting to be invisible.

As the Chuunin glanced through his miniscule collection of scrolls, being three in total, Asuma caught Yasuo's eyes with a vague hand gesture. He mimicked a drinking motion, a walking movement with his fingers in the air, then covered one eye and smiled.

"Here," Iruka handed the boy an assignment, shooting an eerily polite smile in Asuma's direction. "This one has a time restraint. Two days. Your report has to be handed in immediately upon completion."

"Ok, thanks." Yasuo slipped the paper into his front pocket and smiled, giving a short nod to Asuma before leaving. Apparently, he would have this mission done by closing tonight.

Asuma grinned back at Iruka. "Efficient, isn't he?"

"He is."

---

Kakashi, Asuma, and Yasuo had taken a booth this time. It was not their usual style, but since Yasuo, a seventeen year-old, was with them, they figured they would slip him a few drinks while the tender and waitresses weren't looking. Yasuo was sitting on the inside of the booth, next to Asuma, and Kakashi was across from them.

"It went very smoothly this time," Yasuo had spent the past thirty seconds giving them a run down of his mission. "She made it home with no trouble along the way and I was back in time to give Iruka-sensei the report. He was rather pleased to finally have a report in before it was expected."

Kakashi leaned forward, staring at his sake cup in a guilty manner.

Asuma clapped a broad hand on Yasuo's narrow shoulder. "Haha! I've had my share of late reports, but since Iruka-sensei took up office space, I haven't been able to slack off as often." He laughed. "I hate to say it but the only one here with enough balls to piss the man off is Kakashi. Ain't that right?"

Kakashi grinned. "Yup."
"I'd never be able to do that." Yasuo shook his head slowly. "I was enough trouble for him in the Academy. Scared me witless."

"There's more to him than that cheerful smile," Asuma spoke sagaciously. "We all have to learn it the hard way, unfortunately." The bottle of sake on the table was quickly being empty into their cups. "Huh. He'd probably have a conniption if he saw you drinking this." He held up his glass, waving it around in front of Yasuo.

The boy's cheeks gently tinted. "I don't think he was very pleased about last night either…"

"Don't worry about it," Kakashi said, looking up at the tender who shot the group of Jounin a suspicious look from across the bar. The man would have approached them with accusations about Yasuo had he not been so weary of Kakashi. "Iruka-san had his share last night as well."

"Never thought he'd be a drinker." Asuma now tipped his cup at Kakashi.

He set down his own and looked back with a lazy eye. "Oh, well, I do that to people, I suppose."

Yasuo laughed brightly. "You're just too much for Iruka-sensei to handle."

"Damn tru- Hello, Nakura-chan! Out for-?"

Nakura glared at him, stalking past their booth toward the opposite side of the bar. She sat down heavily at a vacant table with that threatening leer still aimed at them.

"Think she's upset about a few kunai wounds?" Asuma turned his cup in hand.

Yasuo grinned in her direction and his brown eyes swiveled back to Kakashi and Asuma. "I gave her two of those. Both needed stitches. She handed me a nice talking to earlier today."

The copy nin looked over to Nakura and then back to Yasuo. "Did she mention Iruka-san?"

"She always does," the boy's sly smile persisted. "Said she was pissed off that no one warned her Iruka would be coming, or she wouldn't have been so plastered."

Asuma considered this. "No, she wouldn't have. She'd have tried turning it on him. I'm not sure if seeing a drunken Nakura is better than seeing a sober Nakura and a drunken Iruka."

"What's more," Yasuo pointed at Asuma as he spoke, "Nakura has gotten word from Iruka-sensei's students that he's gotten involved with someone."

Kakashi lifted an eyebrow at this one. "Ne?"

"Yeah," he turned to the inquirer. "I've still got a few ties with the students. They say a few times he's fallen asleep while teaching and he's been saying some pretty suspicious things. All rumors, of course, but it wouldn't surprise me considering how he's been acting lately. Nakura's been pretty pissed off. She's determined to figure out who it is."

This was news to him. "Interesting," Asuma muttered into his sake. He pulled out a cigarette and lit it. "Can't see the man falling asleep in class but hey, if it's true, you've got me curious. Haha, want to bet it's a student?"

"That's terrible, Asuma-san," Yasuo grinned at that one, waiting until the coast was clear before he had a sip of his own sake. "I don't think it's a student. Iruka-sensei would never do that." He glanced over to Kakashi, scratching his head. "You've been spending a lot of time around him lately, right? Do you have any clue?"

"Got me." Kakashi shrugged, shaking his head.

"Oh, well, damn." The boy swirled his finger on the smooth wood tabletop. "At first they said it was the Takigakure hunter-nin, but then she was killed in battle and he kept falling asleep. Or something like that; I'm not so sure myself. I'd look into it, but I've been keeping so busy with missions I don't have the time."

"Spying on a former sensei. I like you." Kakashi grinned.

"Here's another mission for you, Yasuo-kun," Asuma swiped a napkin off the table, scrawling out a barely coherent message. "Find out who the girl is and report to me." He offered it with a grin, a large cloud of smoke looming up above him. "But first: what kinds of 'things' has he said?" Gossip: a Shinobi's guilty pleasure.

"Well, Kirini-chan says that she watched him after they finished running laps just last Tuesday, and he was murmuring about touching warm skin." He couldn't help but laugh lowly, despite knowing it was terrible. He felt a little guilt about telling Asuma about this…and THE Sharingan no Kakashi. He wondered what the silver-haired Jounin thought about the conversation. Probably figured it was juvenile. "Just, you know, some stuff is all. Kirini-chan relayed the information to me, but she didn't understand most of it, thank god."

Kakashi coughed, choking back laughter.

"Details, man, details! Iruka-sensei said what?" Asuma grinned broadly as Nakura whip lashed in the corner of his vision.

"Oh, I couldn't possibly do that to-"

"No, no," Kakashi interrupted. "I want to hear. Do tell."

Yasuo's head tilted, fingers thrumbed on the table once. He felt a little embarrassed for his teacher, but he grinned, dancing around the topic. "Oh… noises, motions…. You're Jounin, you can use your imagination."

There was an uproar of laughter that wasn't confined to just their booth. Asuma slammed his hands down on the table. "Yeah! I think we can!"

Nakura was watching them very, very carefully.

"Just that? No names or clues as to who it is?" Kakashi asked, full attention on Yasuo.

The boy shrugged. "Well, nothing really. One little boy had suspicions that it was a Jounin girl, but he could give no real reason beyond intuition."

"If it's Nakura, I'll gut myself." Asuma offered his cup to the heavens, declaring his vow, before devouring its contents. The harassed female Jounin could be heard rising suddenly from her seat. Asuma stared passively at her as she whirled past them. As soon as she'd vanished in her customary puff of smoke upon reaching the exit, a smug grin lit up his features. "Ah, small victories."

"Indeed," Kakashi agreed.

"I almost feel sorry for Iruka-sensei," Yasuo laughed lightly. "I mean, I don't know WHAT I'd do if Nakura was after me."

"Gut yourself." Asuma responded. "Have another glass."

---

"Excuse me, I have papers to grade, Nakura-chan. Goodbye." Iruka began to slowly, politely, but firmly shut his apartment door in her face.

Nakura's foot slammed down in the waning crevasse. "Iruka-san! Wait, just a few more minutes? I'm telling you, they were dishonoring your name in public!"

He kept trying to close the door despite her foot, utilizing his vast reserves of 'patience'. Somehow, with Nakura-chan, it didn't seem to last that long. "So you've said. I'll listen to what they have to say. Thank-"

"They'll lie!" Nakura pushed against the door as Iruka began struggling to shut it.

"But it wouldn't be fair to falsely accuse, would it?"

"Iruka-san!"

Iruka would be patient, he would remain calm and he would not slam the door on her. That might bring about physical harm, however tempting it may be. "I have to grade these papers, Nakura-chan. Come over tomorrow and we can continue talking then."

"I have a mission tomorrow." The girl gave an exasperated sigh and looked to him pleadingly. He wasn't budging. This required the heavy artillery; her voice became firm, "They think you're involved with a woman."

Iruka froze and Nakura stumbled forward into the room. She took the shocked moment to shut the door behind her. When Iruka didn't answer with the question she'd been anticipating, or the outburst of righteous anger she'd hoped for, she repeated it. "They believe you're involved with-"

"I heard you." Iruka muttered, hands falling to his sides. His eyes broke away from where she once stood in the doorway to where she was very near him. "What did they say?"

Those words had condemned him to further misery in life. Nakura, being the renowned flirt she was, recognized this. It was a silent confession. The question wasn't 'What did they say?'; it was 'How much do they know?'. Nakura wailed and threw her arms around him. "It's true!"

"No!" Physical contact had him immediately trying to peel her off. "What did they say, Nakura-chan?"

"It's true! How could you?"

It was like working with a crying child. "What did they say?" he repeated calmly.

"You…I can't believe it!"

"Nakura-chan, what did they say?"

"You…. Warm skin, Iruka-san! How could you!"

The poor Chuunin reeled back, horrified and blushing. "What?!"

"Sounds!" Iruka visibly cringed. She threw her arms over his shoulders again, latching onto his dark uniform shirt. "Iruka-san! Who is she? Can't you at least tell me who?!"

"Nakura-chan, please! Calm down! There's no one-"

"Iruka-saaaan!" Nakura began sobbing into his shoulder, and he couldn't bear to pry her away now. The least he could do was stand there, letting this woman -ironically capable of killing dozens of people simultaneously- desperately clutch at him.

"N-Nakura-chan…." If he didn't get her calm soon, he wasn't sure how long he'd be standing there with her attached. "Maybe some tea-"

"Never!"

At this moment, there was a soft knocking at the door.

"Who-?"

"Iruka-san!" Apparently Nakura didn't hear the soft tapping. "They know! All of them!"

The door swung open and a wide-eyed Yasuo stood in the entrance. He took in the sight of a guilty, blushing Iruka and a clinging, crying Nakura. The slip of paper he held fell from his hand and fluttered to the floor. It took a moment for him to unfreeze. "It IS Nakura-san! My god, Asuma-san's going to gut himself!"

Life never used to be this bad. When Iruka was a kid, it'd been horrible. When he was a teenager, not so much. Everything up until the moment he'd met Kakashi had been stable and secure. It was then that it had all gone wrong. "No! No! Not Nakura-chan!"

"No!" Nakura sobbed, burying her face in Iruka's shoulder.

The Chuunin silently pleaded for Yasuo to help him.

"Ah, uh, right." The teenager stepped into the room and walked over to Nakura, quickly assessing the situation and position before he swiftly pulled her into a headlock. As expected, she slipped out of it easily, flipping him over her shoulder. Despite being fully prepared to be thrown, Yasuo landed with a painful slam and he wheezed as the air was pushed from his lungs. It took a moment to recover and stand, but at least Nakura was pulled out of her clingy stupor. It had done the job.

"I won't give up!" She vigorously shook a fist at Iruka, stepping around Yasuo, gaze pinned on the Chuunin's face. "You're making a mistake, Iruka-san!" They coughed as angry red smoke blinded them and filled their lungs. When it cleared, the eccentric girl had disappeared.

"….What is she talking about, Yasuo-kun?" Nakura was like a hangover. She was painful, irritating, and didn't go away.

Yasuo's head bowed slightly and he gained a light blush on his cheeks. "Haven't the faintest…" His eyes quickly scanned the ground for the folded paper he'd dropped and he swiped it up into his hands.

Iruka considered the situation. If he didn't get the information from Yasuo, he'd get it from no one else. He couldn't intimidate Kakashi, and Asuma would only laugh, speaking in his smooth, vague manner. "Yasuo-kun." Ah, the sensei voice.

Yasuo flinched, shifting slightly. He quickly held out the paper for Iruka to take. It was a bar napkin. "Ah, really… I don't know…"

It was gone from his grasp before he could see the Chuunin move. He opened it slowly so it didn't rip, and his eyes scanned over the writing. Yo, Iruka-san. It was in a familiar, lazy, drawn-out script. Just so you know, Nakura-chan is headed your way. Don't open the door to anyone. Of course, knowing me, it's already too late.

Have some sweet dreams tonight! And don't go talking about me anymore, ne?

-Scarecrow

"Kakashi-san wanted me to deliver it to you. I don't know what it says."

The note was immediately crumpled in a fist and stuffed in a pocket. He gave Yasuo a polite smile, as he always had done and always will, motioning toward his door. "Thank you. Next time, Yasuo-kun, you shouldn't deliver anything else from Sharingan no Kakashi." After considering the fact that Yasuo had at least pried Nakura from him, he offered, "Would you like something to drink?"

Yasuo shook his head quickly. "Oh, no, Asuma and Kakashi handled that for me, but thank you." It wasn't the smartest thing to say, telling your former teacher you were involved in under-aged drinking with a bunch of older men in a public bar, but the boy obviously was either scared witless of Iruka or rather relaxed. Possibly a combination of both. Iruka was easily trusted.

"I know." Iruka's smile finally reached his eyes. "You've been working hard, Yasuo-kun. I'm proud you were a student of mine."

Yasuo's eyes lifted to Iruka. He'd been working constant missions for the past month now and he'd grown to be a very well-rounded ninja. This compliment from his former sensei was worth a lot to him. He smiled in return. "Thanks. I'm glad you were my teacher."

"Have you already eaten?"

"Ah, no…"

"I was going to make some curry rice."

His student considered and then nodded with a grin. "That'd be awesome." An hour later, Yasuo and Iruka had finished dinner, and, after a fair amount of Yasuo talking about his missions, Iruka listening intently, the boy decided that he'd take his leave. They parted with a mutually cheerful goodbye and the door to comfort closed on the young man's back.

---

Kakashi flopped down on Asuma's couch and placed his hands behind his head as Asuma worked in his kitchen, still cleaning up scraps from last night's party here and there. They had spent some time talking about Iruka's sudden romance life, and then the topic slowly drifted towards Yasuo. It had been interesting to Kakashi that Asuma had so readily taken such a young Chuunin under his wing. "So, where'd you find him?"

"Roaming around." Asuma tossed some trash into the sink. "I saw some potential- I'd first seen him in action at the Chuunin exam while back. Got to keep up with the newer graduates."

Kakashi nodded slowly and yawned with a stretch. "You know, I think I heard his name in the Missions Office a few times. Hashimoto Yasuo?"

"Yup. Yasuo-kun." He picked up a kunai coated with a suspicious substance. He tossed that at the sink as well. "Interesting boy. Interesting family."

"Yeah?" Kakashi's eye closed and he shifted slightly. "His parents ninja as well?"

"Neither. Villagers, both of them." Asuma regarded his kitchen with faint interest. It still wasn't clean and he'd been working on it since they'd gotten back from the bar. "Father's got a temper." He shrugged. "Mother's dead."

"Siblings?"

"None. Did notably well in school though nothing remarkable. He makes an excellent Chuunin, could be a good Jounin in a couple of years." Both ninja knew by instinct that Yasuo was too kind to be a Jounin quite yet. With a good bit of training and more experience on missions, he could up his level, but he wouldn't be able to break quite yet. Smoke was wafting through the rooms at this point. Asuma hadn't been smoking for at least three hours now. It was unusual for the man but then, inside his apartment, he didn't feel much of a need.

Kakashi evened his breathing. It felt good to be back on this familiar couch and operating as though everything were back to normal. Or as normal as it could ever be for a Shinobi. "He comes in for missions a lot then?"

"Frequently."

"That's good."

"Ehh, even we've gotta work for money. Kid's no better off." Asuma flicked his cigarette at the sink, watching the arc of smoke waft toward the ceiling.

"Who taught him?"

"After Academy he was trained abroad. Came back for the Chuunin exams." He pulled out another cigarette, placing it at his lips unlit. "He's got Iruka's new-age disposition toward battles. Saw him sparring last week."

"So Iruka was his Academy teacher?" Kakashi opened his eye and peered at his friend.

"Yeah. Most of these kids have had Iruka-sensei. You know how it is. They migrate toward him like a flock of birds." He laughed.

Kakashi couldn't help but twitch at the analogy. "I see."

"Eh, I hear it all the time. He'll get students in the Missions Office all the time. 'Iruka-sensei', 'Iruka-sensei'." Asuma chucked a balled up paper at the mounting pile in his sink.

"Would you rather them be squealing your name, Asuma-san?"

"No." Thick smoke curled around his head. "Hell no. I've got my team and that's enough. He can have all the kids he wants. I don't know what's worse; kids who don't know how to handle kunai or kids who do. What about you Kakashi? Care to act the father figure for a while?"

"No." Kakashi yawned again and shifted. "I'm no father to my team. I train them and they learn."

Asuma bellowed with laughter, chucking more unidentifiable items at the pile. What he was planning on doing with all of it remained a mystery. It wasn't like he was going to stick it down the disposal but then, Asuma was Asuma and he did things his way regardless of the possibility. "Ah well. Who knows? He might end up settling with this 'mystery' woman. It's happened." He was now turning his attention on the living room, gauging it to be a possibly overwhelming opponent.

"Wonder what his kids would look like," Kakashi mused. Both Jounin laughed at the idea. "Daddy! Daddy! Come play kunai with me!"

"That's not the sort of thing I prefer to imagine." Asuma snorted. "But you know, I haven't had a good woman in a long time."

Kakashi shrugged. "The smoking may turn them off."

He was fixed with a mock glare. "Ahhh, but there's a certain kind of lady who finds it very attractive. And you? Have any fun lately?"

"Enough," Kakashi offered.

They laughed and Asuma returned to his sink, staring at the heap of trash in a rather suspicious manner…

---

Slow, steady knocking roused Iruka from his restless sleep but he didn't rise just yet. His nightmares led his thoughts toward Nakura and for a moment, he feared dream became reality and the woman was behind the door, waiting…. As tapping continued, still slow and steady, he ruled that possibility out. Nakura wasn't slow; she'd be banging on his door and shouting loud enough to wake the entire apartment complex. He dismissed the Kuro brothers merely on the grounds that they hadn't been seen nor heard from for days and that the presence he felt now wasn't in any way malevolent. It was familiar, if not wearier than it probably should have been.

He slipped out of his bedroom, quietly stalking toward his door to rest a hand on its handle. "Hello?"

The knocking stopped and Iruka could hear shaky, upset breathing. "Please, Iruka-sensei…" Yasuo's wavering voice barely penetrated the wooden door.

Iruka suddenly jerked open the door and herded Yasuo into the apartment without question. He forced the boy to sit on the couch. "Yasuo-kun, it's-" Time? "-two in the morning. What are you doing here?" It was then that Iruka's eyes traced across bruises and a bloodied lip, all other marks were covered by clothing.

Yasuo's head hung lower so that he could see no more. "I'm sorry… I…" He pulled in his lower lip a moment, hands weakly at his sides. "I need a place to stay tonight, and I couldn't think of anywhere else to go."

Iruka vanished down the hall, bedroom door opening. Yasuo heard the man briefly struggle, heard the thud of a mattress hitting the floor and then he was back, standing in front of the boy and offering him a towel. "Clean up." Was all he could say.

"Thank you…" The boy stood and took the towel in his hands, holding it to his chest. He kept his eyes trained on the ground as he disappeared into the bathroom. Iruka took this brief fifteen minutes to regain his thoughts and composure, and by the time the sensei could place his mind in order, Yasuo stood timidly outside the bathroom door with a defeated air about him.

"There's an extra cot set up next to mine. If you're still hungry, please eat." Iruka's face was lit up with a comforting smile. There were no traces of the anxiety he felt on the boy's behalf.

Yasuo shook his head slowly. Damp, deep brown hair fell around his face and neck. He was wringing his hitae-ate in his hands. It was usually proudly in place, but right now he clung to it for comfort. Silence hung between the two of them as the boy looked up to Iruka. A black ring was forming around his left eye. "…I can't fight back, Iruka-sensei…"

"Fight who?" It was the same gentle voice he remembered from his childhood.

The boy ran his fingers through his hair and let out a shaky breath. His attention fell to the ground again. "F-father."

Iruka had dealt with this before. He made no move toward Yasuo, but he kept his words soft and clear. "He fights you and you can't fight back. Are you afraid of him? Or are you afraid you'd hurt him if you tried?"

"Both." The boy's heart began to pound so loudly he could hear it echoing in his mind. A hand slowly lifted to his ear, shielding expression, and he leaned backward against the wall.

"And you won't leave because he's the only family you have."

Yasuo looked completely away from Iruka. He was ashamed.

"It's hard to loose the people precious to you," Iruka took a slow step forward. "But eventually, you need to start operating on your own. As a Shinobi, you have to realize that your childhood is gone and all you have left is yourself. You need to realize what is right and what is wrong." A thoughtful pause. "One day, you'll have to stop realizing and start deciding which is which on your own. For the villagers, life can be a long, peaceful journey. For us, it can be a short ride through hell." He kept smiling. "Your life is your own, Yasuo-kun."

The boy sank lower, instinctively pulling his bandana to his chest. He worked hard to avoid Iruka's gaze. "I'm going to go lay down…"

Iruka finally reached him, laying a warm hand on his shoulder. "Sleep well…Yasuo-kun."

"Good night."

---

"Oh I see. So you have a particularly accurate henge, huh? That's very interesting."

Iruka had stumbled out of his bedroom as the continuation of bright conversation finally awoke him. The past two days at work had been miserable and as soon as work was over, his off time was even worse. He'd gotten no uninterrupted sleep and the emotional discord of the previous night was still irking him. As he had heard, felt, and expected, Yasuo sat at the kitchen table, chatting idly with Isamu as the cross-dresser poured steaming hot tea from a porcelain kettle.

"I was very good at henge as well when I was your age. It was- Oh good afternoon, Iruka-san!"

The beaten Yasuo smiled at Iruka pleasantly, standing up and offering him a small, respectful bow. "Good afternoon, Iruka-sensei. You sure sleep in on days off, don't you?" He looked over to the guest. "Isamu-san and I just met."

The man smiled, equally as pleasant as Yasuo's current disposition. "I had come to return your tea kettle when this young man opened the door. He's a student of yours, yes? He's been telling me of his studies. Very intriguing."

Iruka blinked at him.

Yasuo pushed an empty tea cup towards Iruka, and Isamu quickly filled it up. "Are you ok with that, Iruka-sensei? I mean… I didn't want to wake you, but she was standing at the door all alone…"

All of Iruka's thoughts halted at that comment, and it dawned on him that Yasuo hadn't yet realized Kazahaya Isamu was male. He opened his mouth to say something, but it snapped shut at Yasuo's suspicious look. The boy's eyes had flickered between the two of them, and the suspicion continued. Iuka knew what that look meant. "No." The Chuunin answered all implied questions, and he left it at that.

Isamu laughed lightly. It was a pretty, lilting laugh that made Yasuo blush. "Hee hee," Isamu fiddled with the hem of his kimono sleeve. "Isn't he sweet?"

Iruka gave him a long, hard stare. He said nothing of his disapproval of Isamu's deception, just merely sat down at the table and took his cup without question, watching the two interact.

Yasuo sat down with him, staring down at the tea. He smiled again and looked up at Iruka. "By the way, thank you for letting me stay here last night. It really helped." Of course, he would have to go home eventually and explain to father where he'd run away to. He'd hunt down Asuma and Kakashi to hang around with for a few hours before he went back though. Or maybe he could gather a mission or two… Anything to stall.

"Of course."

Isamu hid his smile behind his sleeve, but both men felt it. "Iruka-san is a very generous man."

"Thanks, Isamu-san, but that isn't necessary." Iruka set his gaze on Yasuo. "I'll write an excuse for you to give to your father if you drop by the Missions Office later. I've got to pick up a few things so I'll leave it with Harumi-chan."

"Oh, thanks for the offer." Yasuo smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes.

The cross-dresser patted his head affectionately. "Perhaps if you're free later, you and I can speak more on jutsu?"

The younger Chuunin's eyes lit up and he nodded. "That would be great."

Iruka refused to step into this, but the laugh Isamu offered sent a cold shiver down his spine.

---

Kakashi scooted down the branch and stared at the ground. His eye traveled across the green grass to the hero stone, and then back to the base of the tree he was in. Apparently, the Jounin found himself standing in squirrel territory, and there was a rather upset little mammal at the bottom of the trunk that couldn't quite wrap its small mind around the concept of an upside down human. Kakashi walked down the trunk towards it, but the creature ran around to the other side of the tree to hide.

The copy nin scuffled around the trunk to see the squirrel attempt to scurry away from his view again. It was rather perplexing, this creature jumping around so skittishly when Kakashi had no intention to hurt it. He never did have a way with any living being. He peered around the edge and heard skittering nails on the bark as it further hid. "Damn…"

"What would Naruto say if he knew his sensei was hunting squirrels?"

Kakashi's ear pricked up. "Yo, Iruka." The Jounin pulled out a knife and made a dash around the tree. The human and squirrel ran circles, always opposite each other before the predator doubled back suddenly and slammed the kunai knife into the trunk. The squirrel screamed and writhed, finding the fur of its tail pinned perfectly in place. Something glinted and dropped to the ground. Kakashi released the animal and jumped down to the ground in front of Iruka. He kneeled, looking for something in the grass.

When he stood again, he found Iruka was watching him with mouth agape.

Kakashi lifted a small black feather and twirled it between his fingers. After a moment of close observation, he dropped it, obviously not having found what he was truly looking for.

Iruka's mouth was hanging open. "Y-you…"

"-pinned a squirrel to a tree, I know, Iruka." The Jounin smiled as he stood, brushing off his pants.

The Chuunin, finally over the initial shock of seeing Kakashi pin a tiny woodland animal to a tree, was now wondering why he'd bothered seeking Kakashi out…And don't go talking about me anymore, ne? Ah yes, that was it. "Kakashi…"

"Ne?" The Jounin placed a hand on his hip in his usual manner, looking down at Iruka lazily.

Iruka took a step closer, inches away from Kakashi. He looked up, stared into Kakashi's eye and said, "'And don't go talking about me anymore, ne?'. Please explain this."

Kakashi stared down at him, shifting slightly as his hands slid into his pockets. There was a glint in his eye. "Oh, that."

"Yes. That." Iruka pulled on his 'sensei' glare, continuing to meet the Jounin's gaze.

The man in question leaned forward, and his whisper came near Iruka's ear. "Yasuo-kun brought up an interesting topic at Itadekimasu last night. Some of your children claim you've fallen asleep in class, and you've been talking a bit too much for your own good."

Naturally, Iruka blushed. "And what has Yasuo-kun claimed I've said?"

"Oh, he tried to be very polite about it," Kakashi said, voice falling to a murmur. He tilted his head slightly. "Warm skin, noises, motion. He told us to use our imagination. Asuma slipped him some hard sake to pull a few more details out of him, but I won't divulge that information. The point is, everyone knows you're interested in someone, and they all are working hard to find out who."

"W-w-warm sk-s-sk-sk-sk-?" He couldn't say it. He just couldn't…Nope, not true. Wasn't going to listen to Kakashi anymore. Nope. Never again.

Kakashi placed a hand on Iruka's opposite shoulder to keep him from drawing back. "Yup. Warm skin, and so much more. Oh, I couldn't get enough of it last night. Goaded him on even." A low chuckle. "You're priceless, Iruka-kun."

This, of course, had the effect of causing Iruka to explode. "You self-worshipping bastard! W-what makes you assume it's you?!" The answer here was painstakingly obvious but he felt the obligation to defend himself, even if what Kakashi had said was…possibly true.

"Oh, so there is someone?" The Jounin's laughter increased, and he drew back from Iruka. "If it's Nakura-chan, Asuma-san will disembowel himself."

There must have been some joke about this at the bar because that was very similar to what Yasuo had said last night. Iruka grumbled, glaring crossly at the hand on his shoulder. He considered hitting Kakashi, but that wouldn't accomplish much. "No. There's no one."

This seemed to satisfy Kakashi and the hand slipped away. "Be on the look out, Iruka. They're watching closely. Especially Nakura-chan."

"I don't talk in my sleep…"

"I was about to ask you that," Kakashi said softly, pocketing his hands once more. "You have nightmares, you shift, but I've never heard you talk in your sleep. You'd have to be pretty messed up to start talking. Did you really doze off at school?"

Iruka fixed him with a flat, blunt glare. "No." Of course, he really hadn't been paying attention. If he had been falling asleep, then it would have to be between classes or when the children were outside running laps. The insinuation that he'd dream about Kakashi in such a way relatively disturbed him and yet- looking at the Jounin, recollecting what he'd been busy convincing himself had never transpired…Kakashi was attractive. Dappled sunlight illumined his silver hair, the tilted hitae-ate created deep shadow over his visible eye and the outlines and contours of Kakashi's face hidden beneath the mask were subtle and- No, no, Iruka wasn't going to go there again. That was a bad, bad place for him… Needless to say, he hadn't fully realized he was transfixed.

The Jounin's lazy attitude persisted as if he noticed none of this. Perhaps, he didn't. "Well, if you aren't falling asleep in class, I would say you have some very creative students." A smile lifted the corner of his eye as he looked down at the Chuunin.

He did not have an urge to touch the man. No. Umino Iruka did not work that way. He was an honest Shinobi, with average skills and a decent lifestyle. Not an alternative lifestyle, and most certainly not with the Sharingan no Kakashi. "Ah, yeah…"

The Jounin shifted his weight to one leg, rocking his hips to the side and turning smoothly to lean against the tree again. He leaned his head back to touch the trunk. His chest slowly rose and fell with calm, easy breathing. "Don't worry about it, Iruka. It won't be a problem to throw them off track." He lifted his chin slightly, looking through the swaying branches to the sunrays that cast downward through the leaves.

Iruka was forced to look away as images rose, unbidden, to his mind. A deep scarlet stained his cheeks, tinting his scar purplish red. "I- I wanted to ask. Has ANBU found anything regarding the Kuro brothers?"

"Nah," Kakashi shook his head, looking back to Iruka. He didn't take note of the blushing. "They've just dropped off the face of the planet. ANBU is keeping up its search on twelve hour shifts, but they still haven't been able to find them." A deep, almost tantalizing sigh. "They'll come on their own terms, I'm sure."

"We have no choice. If neither ANBU nor the Hokage can do anything, we have to…wait." He was willing himself to move and got as far as four feet away before he turned, unsure as to why. "Ah…Yasuo-kun…was at my apartment last night."

Kakashi's eye traveled over to Iruka and he lifted a brow. "How come?"

"Family." Iruka murmured, shaking his head. "But he's fine now. I woke up and he was at my table talking with Isamu-san about Jutsu!"

Father's got a temper. Mother's dead. What could have been a flash of concern made Iruka double-take, but it left him with Kakashi's usual lackadaisical disposition. "I see. Why was Isamu there?"

It was always amusing to see the flustered Chuunin attempt to hide his face in obvious embarrassment. "He'd come to return my tea kettle."

"And you did inform Yasuo that Isamu was male?"

Iruka addressed the ground with a loud, strained, "No!"

The Chuunin's heart rate leapt at Kakashi's bright laughter. "Well, he'll find out on his own good time, I suppose." Kakashi certainly had.

Kakashi's companion gave a slow nod, eyes still searching the ground. He really should just go find something else to do. Perhaps volunteer at the Academy on his day off or go hunt down Naruto and perhaps Sakura and Sasuke for a ramen outing. Anything but stand here and gawk, looking and feeling like an uncivilized idiot. Iruka was not attracted to the Jounin. He respected Kakashi. "Yes…"

The Jounin's head tilted forward as he scratched the back of his neck. A soft breeze ran through the trees, brushing through his sliver hair and running his bangs across the glint of his hitae-ate. "You know," his voice had fallen to a soft strum, "Yasuo might be able to make use of Isamu's genjutsu. The man can't fight, but if he passed it on… It would do well to keep his skills within Konoha's borders."

"Isamu-san is powerful, yes, Kakashi, but I'm a little skeptical about his type of genjutsu and whether it's wise to let Yasuo learn it from him…" He wanted to reach out and run his fingers along the leaf indent of Kakashi's hitae-ate in much the same manner he had the names of the Hero Stone. Slowly, carefully, taking in every bump, every fluctuation of the engraving.

"I'll supervise if necessary," Kakashi offered. His attention turned upward once again. Light and shadow took their turns, dancing across the Jounin's features. "But only if Isamu is willing." The copy nin was in a generous mood today for some reason. Perhaps with the party one night, a full night's sleep the next, and now some time alone with Iruka, a burden was lifting from his shoulders. He couldn't let it stray too far, but for now, it felt good.

Iruka finally looked up from the ground and his brown eyes landed on the man. Nature was a cruel temptress indeed. "I doubt Isamu would mind. They were getting along so well." He glanced up into the trees as well, subconsciously moving back toward Kakashi.

"Mm…" Another deep inhale was soon accompanied by an exhale of equal magnitude. Kakashi closed his eye, letting sunlight fall and listening to the trees sing with a breath of wind. This was why he spent his times outdoors. Any moment could be his last, and this is what he wanted to do with his last hours of life. Every day he was sure to spend some time in his element, in nature.

Iruka drew nearer but without encroaching upon Kakashi's personal space. "Don't you have a team to watch or something, slacker?" It was merely a comment to fill impending silence and they both knew it.

"They can wait. Besides, it's your day off at the Missions Office. They know they won't have anything to do but spar." A soft smile formed under the black fabric.

Why was he, completely at random, analyzing Kakashi's expression and body whenever the Jounin glanced around? Irritation spread through Iruka's mind but it couldn't match the sudden awkward feeling of the situation that he experienced. At least his acquaintance didn't seem to notice any of it. "Yeah…"

Kakashi's grey eye turned on him. It wasn't his usual, lazy stare, nor was it his analytical gaze. He'd been assessing the situation through out the entire conversation. This time, the look was nearly expectant. Or was that Iruka's perverse hope and desire making it seem that way? "You're distressed, Iruka…" The way he'd said his name… said so smoothly, so bare without honorific. Just… 'Iruka'. "Why?"

"Wha?" He blinked, snapping out of deep thought. "No, not at all…just Yasuo, Isamu, Kuro-kun…" Iruka burned under Kakashi's scrutiny.

"Really." The look persisted. The meaning of it seemed to bend to Iruka's every fluttering will. From longing to irritation, it seemed to fit Iruka's every passing thought, and the Chuunin began to wonder if he was doing it on purpose. No, no, he was good but he wasn't a mind reader -thank god. He couldn't possibly predict every detail of his thought. "Relax," that word alone made Iruka tense and melt at the same time. "You've only got this time to calm your nerves." His voice fell to a soft whisper, "Take the opportunity."

What had Kakashi done to him? "It's your fault." He murmured shamefully, staring at Kakashi's chest and absolutely refusing to meet the man's smiling eye.

The Jounin's head cocked to the side. "What's my fault?"

Iruka reached out, firmly gripping Kakashi's arm. His brown eyes were locked with the individual blades of grass gently swaying under the forceful breeze. "Everything…" If he looked up, he'd loose it. He could feel it rapidly manifesting inside him, spreading throughout his body. Something unwanted and sudden…

Kakashi's hand lifted and tilted Iruka's chin upward. "That's a lot to blame me for."

Iruka shamefully couldn't control himself. Kakashi's singular gaze locked on his, and then the conflicted eyes were gone, sliding away from the Jounin as Iruka rose to his tiptoes, cheek brushing against cool, black fabric. Lips brushed against Kakashi's left earlobe, sending a small shiver up the man's spine before Iruka bit, tugging gently. Iruka's arm slid up and wrapped around his partner's shoulders.

What would have been Kakashi's next irrelevant words had suddenly diminished to a low murmur. He tilted his head slightly, reclaiming his ear to nuzzle Iruka's neck. "You didn't really mean to do that."

The man's skin was emanating heat, his pulse was quick and his muscles tensed. Iruka's arm was still draped over Kakashi's shoulder and he kept chest to chest with the Jounin, but for a moment, he regained composure enough to absorb Kakashi's words. "I didn't…?"

Kakashi's left arm slipped around Iruka's waist and then trailed up the man's spine. "It's my fault."

"Ah…yeah…" Iruka shifted, completely distracted by his companion's touch.

Kakashi's hand fell away from Iruka and he leaned back slightly. "So don't play if you don't mean to, Iruka."

The man's brows furrowed as his mind tried to comprehend what Kakashi had just said. Don't 'play'? Don't… He gasped. "Sorry! I'm so sorry!" Soft grasses below were mercilessly crushed as Iruka sprang back, blinking rapidly and shaking his head as though to rouse himself from a daydream. "I-I don't know- what was I thinking?!" No, that had been lack of thought, that's what it'd been!

Kakashi offered a sad smile at this. He sighed deeply and shook his head. "Don't worry about it."

And yet- Iruka forced himself to glance back, holding himself in place so that he neither moved closer nor farther away. "Kakashi, I'm more than worried about it. And I'm very confused….what is going on here?"

That was a very hard question to answer. The Jounin looked away almost guiltily. He was manipulating Iruka, he knew that, or at the very least felt like it. He was taking advantage of the Chuunin's weaknesses, exploiting his need for comfort. The real question to ask was 'why' not 'what'. "I dunno." He shrugged and smiled at Iruka again; any trace of a doubt vanished. "Just happens."

Apparently, this answer did not satisfy the harried teacher whose eyes now gleamed with renewed stability, determination fringing the balance. "Not good enough." Iruka folded his arms over his chest, watching Kakashi skeptically. He then whirled on his heels, stalking across the field half-firmly commanding Kakashi, "Follow me."

Kakashi obeyed.