Hey guys, I wrote most of this in the hospital since I got food poisoning from peanut butter -.- Anyways, enjoy!
A heart for you: Haha I'm sorry, but the next chapter is the most important climatic part! And you're welcome
Shika: Haha I couldn't leave hi out :) And maybe your feelings are right, hehe
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"Iruka," Kurenai called from within the tanned man's living room, "the dog just barfed on the floor."
"Kurenai," Iruka replied, walking towards the woman with a blue collar and leash in his hand, "you can't feed the dog chocolate chip cookies. That's against the law."
"What law?"
Iruka cleaned the mess with the towel, throwing it into the washing machine- returning to sit next to the black haired woman.
"Doggie law," Iruka chuckled out, fastening the accessories around the young dog's neck. "Besides, he's just a pup, so he's not really trained. He's also scared shitless."
"Awe, is the little puppy-wuppy scared?" Kurenai asked, picking up the small pug, cuddling it against her chest.
"Careful there, you might suffocate him to death," Iruka teased, mimicking Kurenai's movements.
"Oh shut it," the woman defended. "You just wish you had these," she said, shaking her breasts.
"Sure I do, boob-arella" Iruka countered, ducking from a slap. "Haha, calm down."
"Anyways," the red-eyed woman began, "does he have a name?"
"Pakkun."
"Pakkun? That's a cute little name for a cute little pug like him."
"Is he sleeping?" Iruka asked, poking the dog's cheek lightly, chuckling when Pakkun answered with a loud snore. "Wow, I guess he does like you. Asuma has some competition, doesn't he?"
"Kakashi rubbed off on you too much. You know that, right?"
"I said the same thing about a month ago, haha," Iruka laughed out, jumping when Sango came rushing towards him, throwing her body onto his lap and curling into a snug ball. "Awe, someone's jealous."
"I don't see why. Now both of you have a little kid you could call your own," Kurenai giggled out.
"Yeah," Iruka sighed, patting Sano on her head, "I just hope Kakashi likes his present."
"If not, you could always tie a bow around yourself and have him unwrap you."
"I said that last month too," Iruka stated, bursting out into laughter.
"No way," the other said in disbelief. "That's crazy. Wait, so is my idea out of the question?"
"Actually, I was saving it for a Christmas present."
"Kakashi's one lucky guy. So are you excited to have him back tomorrow?" Kurenai asked, smirking when Iruka became flustered.
"I don't think words could describe how happy I feel. The students at the academy even made welcome back cards for me to give to him," Iruka added, smiling happily to himself.
"What will you two do first?"
"You already know the answer to that," Iruka hastily replied, face turning a rosy pink.
"Someone won't be able to walk properly for a while," the woman teased, wiping a tear away from her eye.
"Haha, so funny. I was thinking about introducing him to Tachibana after he got settled in, though."
"Are you sure that that's a good idea? Kakashi might get the wrong idea. He is the over-protective type..."
"Kakashi and I have a trusting relationship. We would never do anything that would hurt or severely upset the other," Iruka stated with a bubbly smile.
"He sure is lucky to have you."
"Yoko Zakari," bellowed Hachiku, watching as the young girl made her way across the stage of the auditorium. "Yoko," he began again, "I am proud to call you an official weapons specialist. Here is your medal."
He placed the medal around the girl's neck and shook her hand, stepping back so that she may shake Kakashi's hand too. Yoko walked up to Kakashi and immediately flung herself at him, wrapping her arms around his waist while breaking out into a full sob.
"Kakashi sensei," she wept, "this is the last day I'll see you."
The rest of the ship's members chuckled warmly at her outburst.
"Yoko," Kakashi soothed, patting the girl's head, "this doesn't mean that it'll be the last time I see you. I actually, by fate, met an old friend of mine on this ship, so the same thing can happen to us. I know I'll see you again in the future, so don't cry, ok?"
"You promise," Yoko asked shyly, glancing up at the older male.
"I promise," Kakashi reassured, smiling fondly at her.
Yoko pulled away, wiping a tear from her eye, and shook the pale man's hand, exiting the stage after she was done.
The commander of the ship, an old, yet muscular man, stepped onto the center of the floor and congratulated everyone one last time for their hard work, before dismissing them. Kakashi left the auditorium, bumping into Denji along the way, who was currently admiring his badge.
"Hey, hey, check it out," the green haired male started, pointing to his new pin. "I'm an official coputer tech- a knowledge specialist."
"So basically, you just graduated from a nerd to a megga geek?" Kakashi bantered.
"You're just jealous of my smarts."
"Sure I am. Hey, why don't we go to the party now? I bet your other dork friends are waiting for you."
"Long day, long day, long day," Kakashi mindlessly chanted, as he fell into his small bed. "And it doesn't help that Denji didn't let me drink anything... although I should probably be thanking him," he mumbled into his sheets. "Ugh, tomorrow's the day; the day of judgement. I wish I could go back in time and stop myself from ever doing any of that- from being a total dick-wad. At least I know what I'll say, and hopefully, Iruka will understand the entire situation. Please, God, let him understand."
"Alright," the captain of the ship began over the intercom, "we are almost about to pull into Konaha harbor, so make sure you have all of your belongings for when you depart. That is all."
"I think I have everything..." Kakashi mumbled, glancing at his bag. "Boxers? Yeah. Toothbrush? Yeah."
"A life?" piped in a mysterious voice. "No. Looks like you did forget something."
"If I throw a stick, will you leave?"
"No."
"Haha, what do you plan to do after this, De-de?" Kakashi questioned, sitting on the edge of his bed.
Denji walked towards him and sat next to him, breathing out a sigh of relaxation.
"I plan to continue writing and let life run it's course."
"That doesn't sound exciting at all," Kakashi blatantly stated, crossing his arms across his chest.
"I'm sorry, let me try that again. I'm going to go home and transform into a magical taco that shits ice cream and rainbows. That better for you?" Denji asked teasingly, his voice laced with sarcasm.
"Yes, but let's try it again without the sarcasm. Come to think of it, you're always mean to me," Kakashi whined.
"I'll try being nicer if you try being smarter," the green haired male snickered.
"Ouch," Kakashi chuckled out. "Hey, don't lose contact of me, ok? I can't afford to lose another friend."
"Haha, don't sweat about it. I live in Konaha now, so I'll be able to find you easily. That is, if I'm in the mood."
The pale man punched him, laughing as the other grabbed his arm and winced in pain.
"Ow, you ass-hat, why the fuck did you punch me like that? Fucking shit," the man cursed in agony.
"Think of it as a going away present."
"Kakashi!" bellowed a baritone voice. "My friend, I came to see you one final time before we must depart!"
"Gai?" Kakashi asked, horrified. "Hey... it's great to see you."
"Yes, yes," the brawny man replied, sauntering over to Kakashi and Denji, standing in front of the two. "And who is your friend here?"
"I'm Denji," the short man introduced, holding out a hand to shake Gai's. "Nice to meet you. You have big eyebrows, you know that?"
"Denji!" Kakashi scolded instantly.
"No, it's quite ok my friend. He has a very inquisitive personality. I like that, haha, and yes, I've been told that a lot of times. So Kakashi, I was meaning to ask, where do you live? I live in Konaha, so I was hoping you might live close by."
"Um, I live in, uh, Osuva," the silver haired man lied.
"Osuva? I've never heard of it," Gai replied. "Is it close by?"
"Well actually," Denji began, but was soon interrupted by a woman's voice.
"Gai, get your ass back here. We need your help over here," the female voice demanded.
"Hmmm, must be important for Koshina to be acting so violent. Well, I guess I won't be seeing you again, so goodbye my rival," Gai said, patting Kakashi on the back. "And goodbye Denji," he added, exiting the room.
"You're a bitch," Kakashi stated, once Gai was out of sight.
"What ever do you mean?" Denji asked innocently.
"You were going to rat me out."
"Me? Couldn't be, then who? Yeah, I was, haha. You should have seen the look on your face, though."
"Read between the lines," Kakashi seethed, holding up his pointer, middle, and ring finger up to Denji, the fingers side by side.
"I don't get it- oh! It means fuck you, haha. Hey, wait! That's not cool!"
"The ship has anchored, it is safe to leave. Please exit in an orderly manner," the captain announced on the speaker. "Thank you once again for your service."
"That guy sounds like he's about to die," Denji stated, dragging his suitcase across the ship's deck behind him.
"That's a mean thing to say," Kakashi scolded, laughing when the other became stuck at a set of stair steps. "How the hell did you bring that thing on anyways?"
"Actually, it was a lot smaller than this, but I picked up a lot of souvenirs, so yeah, haha. Hey, you don't have to take it, you have a bag of your own."
"Too late," Kakashi replied, swinging the suitcase behind his back with ease, ascending the stair steps. "You coming?"
"Yeah, yeah," Denji muttered, following behind with a sulk on his face.
The two reached the top and made their way to the ramp, pushing past various other members in the process.
"You there, De-de?" Kakashi called, glancing behind his shoulder, as he made his way towards the exit.
"Yeah, right behind you," Denji answered, one hand on the suitcase currently across Kakashi's back so that he would not lose the other in the crowd.
"Ah, fresh Konaha air," Kakashi sighed in relief, stepping into the bright sunshine. "Feels so good to be back on home land again.
"It does, but..."
"I know," Kakashi replied, mood immediately changing from joyful to depressed.
'I have to face him,' the pale man thought, nervously searching the crowd for the tanned man. 'Brown ponytail, brown ponytail,' Kakashi reiterated in his mind, eyes darting quickly across the crowd of eager faces. His body suddenly froze when his eyes locked gazes with familiar chocolate ones, but quickly managed to recompose himself, not showing any hint of fear or dismay on his face. 'Iruka, I'm so so sorry. Please forgive me for this.'
(break)
Cue dramatic music! This is the moment of truth, so what will Kakashi say. Read to find out in the next chapter :)