The Assassin and the Dolphin

Author: jabotus

Rating: T

Pairings: Kakashi x Iruka

Warnings: AU – yaoi (two guys in a relationship)

Disclaimer: Don't own.

'…..' - thoughts

Chapter 10

Iruka watched Naruto cook the shrimp, but his eyes kept drifting over to where Sakura and Kakashi were talking in low voices. It was too low for him to pick up what they were saying despite having better hearing than humans.

"I think he likes you Iruka," spoke up Naruto.

"What makes you say that?"

His little brother shrugged than grinned at him. "Have you kissed him? I mean aside from when you brought him here?"

"Please don't tell him about that," Iruka begged. Iruka knew he would die of embarrassment if the perverted human found out how he had enough oxygen to be brought through the cave tunnels. It would be like throwing gasoline on a fire; an unfortunate experiment his friends had tried once. Lee's eyebrows just didn't grow back the same…

"All right, but only if you answer my question."

Iruka snorted. "It would be more than kissing if he had his way," he muttered. "Kinky tails…he's perverted!"

"Iruka, you know I'm all for you getting laid because frankly, you need to, but I really don't need to hear about the kinky details."

"We didn't do…"

"Especially with a guy as ancient as he is."

"He's not old Naruto."

"He has gray hair!"

"It's not gray. It's…silver."

"Whatever."

"…"

"So did you kiss?" Naruto asked again.

"I thought you didn't want to know."

"Kissing isn't kinky….unless…"

"Unless what?" Iruka had a bad feeling about this.

Another shrug. "I guess it depends on where he kissed you. This one time when I was on a date…"

"I don't want to know." Iruka interrupted. Naruto with a huge grin, stopped. "You're as bad as he is."

"You're overreacting Iruka. Deep down, there's a little pervert in all of us. Some just tap into it easier than others. I bet with the right person, even you could find the pervert inside of you."

Dumbfounded, Iruka stared at Naruto. 'What happened to my cute, clumsy little brother?' he thought.

"He grew up. He's seventeen and horny."

Had he said that out loud? Iruka shook his head, wishing he could erase this. "I'm going to pretend this conversation never happened."

"Suit yourself." Looking past Iruka, he shouted at the other two, "Hey, what are you two whispering about over there?"

"You," Sakura answered with a smirk. Then Sakura said something else to Kakashi before heading towards them.

"Why don't you take this to him and talk with him." Naruto handed Iruka a plate of cooked shrimp.

"Another enlightening conversation, I'm sure." Iruka took the plate anyway.

"Smells good, Naruto." Sakura knelt by the fire and deliberately tossed one of the raw shrimp into her mouth.

"How is he?" asked Iruka.

"Physically, he's healing fine. Some pain, but that's to be expected."

"He said he'd tell me if he was in any pain." Frowning, Iruka glanced over at Kakashi who was stretching, sans shirt. A blush crept over his cheeks and he quickly looked away.

"Of course he wouldn't. He's a man. He can't act weak in front of anybody," Sakura said, her voice laced with sarcasm.

"Tonight, if you have to, slip some of the medicine in his drinking water. It'll help him sleep. I'll make some more, but then I have to go. He should be fine. Oh, and check the stitches tonight before you go for any signs of infection. Come get me if it looks bad."

"Okay."

"Now go over there and be the Iruka we all love so he'll fall madly in love with you."

Iruka gave her a look which said he clearly didn't believe that would ever happen. Sakura shoved him forwards. He'd heard she was a pushy matchmaker from Genma. Besides he wasn't sure if he wanted someone like Kakashi to be madly in love with him. Nonetheless, he carried the plate over to Kakashi, but stopped several feet short. He stretched his arm over to the now standing human to maintain some distance between them.

"Here." Iruka kept his gaze to the floor and missed Kakashi's amused expression.

"Thank you." He felt the plate's weight leave his hand so dropped his arm.

"Are you going to be all shy again this morning?"

"…no…" Iruka shouldn't like him.

"Have you had breakfast?"

"No." Kakashi was probably only interested in sex. He would just use him and move on.

"Would you like to join me for breakfast then?"

"…" But Naruto was behaving in a similar way this morning and despite that, Iruka would not love his brother any less. Maybe be more disturbed by what he said, but it would not cause him to stop loving Naruto. He told Naruto he would forget their conversation. Of course, Iruka couldn't really do that, without his aid anyway, but he could ignore it. Grant it, a person could only ignore so much, but Iruka was patient. There had to be more to Kakashi and with this in mind, Iruka was suddenly determined to find out what more there was. He would simply be patient and ignore the outrageous remarks until he could see what was really behind them. Hopefully not more offensive remarks…

"Are you going to stand there staring at the floor all day because a statue would be better company than you right now."

"No." Iruka looked up at Kakashi who had sat down to eat. He sat down across from him.

"Care to share what you were thinking about?"

"Maybe later," Iruka paused, "when we're alone." Iruka would just have to play by Kakashi's rules.

Kakashi glimpsed up from his meal at the slightly smiling Iruka. Then he cracked a smile and laughed, shaking his head. One point for Iruka. The laugh was a bonus.

"All right. Send the kids away and we'll talk. Maybe more."

Iruka's blush wasn't nearly as visible as it had been yesterday, but it was close. Neither noticed the sly grin on the blond's face as he turned away from them to finish cooking the shrimp.

After threatening Kakashi into drinking some more of the homemade pain medication, Sakura had left. Naruto, on the other hand, seemed unwilling to leave so Iruka had coerced him into helping to clean out the cave. Kakashi pitched in as well disregarding Iruka's protests. Without reading material, Kakashi was reluctant to sit still.

At first Naruto had pestered him with questions of all kind; what did he like to eat, his favorite music, where did he go to college, etc. All but the question of what kind of job did he have, Kakashi answered truthfully; he changed the subject when the job question came up. He didn't want to lie so he avoided it. He hadn't missed the fact that Iruka was just as curious about his responses, more so even, than the blond who was asking them.

Kakashi artfully distracted the teen by glimpsing over at Iruka and asking what Iruka did for a living. Naruto snickered. Good.

"We don't have jobs like on the surface," Iruka answered when Naruto didn't.

"So what do you do if there's something you want?"

"You just take it." Kakashi turned his head to hide his grin. He heard Naruto laugh from his side of the cave.

Iruka realized what he said, "you know what I mean."

"I do and it sounds so primitive. I like it."

"So Iruka, what is you want right now?" asked Naruto, barely containing his laughter.

"For you two to stop ganging up on me." He threw a shirt at Naruto, but it didn't come close to reaching him.

Sakura's words came back to haunt Kakashi. He could have this, couldn't he? A place in a real family and circle of friends. What had passed between him and Iruka yesterday no longer appeared to distress the merman. Yes, Iruka was still embarrassed by it, but considering what he said, Iruka was dealing with it. What that meant exactly, Kakashi wasn't sure, but it made him wonder what other faults Iruka would adjust to. That he even bothered to try was giving Kakashi hope. Hope he couldn't afford.

This could work…but then could he spend the rest of his life keeping his past hidden from all of them? Iruka had already shown him a bit of uncertainty when they broached the subject of his shooting. If Iruka found out what he did for money, surely Iruka wouldn't be so welcoming to him. It would be yesterday multiplied by a hundred. He'd probably be abandoned in the cave; left to starve or drown in an attempt to swim out.

No, he couldn't stay and he couldn't let Iruka give him false hope.

"What are you day dreaming about?" asked Naruto.

"Nothing I could say to someone underage."

"I'm almost 18."

"Almost doesn't count."

"I thought you didn't want to know the details Naruto?" Iruka tossed a bucket with its bottom rusted out, into the trash pile.

"What details? I was merely stating my age."

"Details? I'd like to hear more about these details as well."

Iruka went back to work, doing his best to ignore that comment.

The morning passed quickly with hard work and light bantering between the three. Kakashi was always careful of what he told them. He hadn't mentioned Obito at all and wouldn't if he could help it. He had successfully turned the conversation around and found out more about the merpeople. Naruto eagerly answering any question Iruka would hesitate on, especially if it was personal.

Iruka pushed the last of the trash into the pool. He and the others would haul it out of the underwater cave later.

"This place looks so much bigger now." Naruto scratched his cheek, smearing more dirt onto his face.

"Definitely." Kakashi stifled a yawn, but Iruka had been watching him too closely.

"We've worn you out. Sakura said you were to rest and here we are making you clean up our mess."

Kakashi waved his hand in dismissal. "You didn't make me and I wasn't about to just sit there bored out of my mind watching you two clean."

"Still, we better leave so you can take a nap."

"I don't need a nap." Kakashi yawned again. It must be that medicine. It was sapping his energy.

Iruka didn't listen. "Naruto."

"I'll see you later then. It was nice getting to know you better, Kakashi." He picked up the empty shrimp pail before stepping over to the pool. "I'm returning this, but I'll see you later tonight Iruka."

"Be careful. There were sharks near the reef this morning when I went to get Sakura."

"Yes mother." Naruto rolled his eyes before stepping into the water, sinking like a rock and out of sight.

"Do you need anything?"

"I'm good, I guess. The afternoon will be boring with nothing to do here."

"Take a nap. You need one." Iruka moved to the edge of the water. "I'll bring you something to eat later."

"Fine."

"…it was …nice to learn more about you."

"Same here."

Still Iruka hesitated to leave. Kakashi waited, but nothing ever came. Iruka turned away and dropped into the pool. He hadn't removed his clothes before leaving. If his clothes were ruined during his change, it didn't matter much since they had found a whole pile of clothes. The cleaner and less torn of them were salvaged and were now neatly folded and laying next to the towels along the wall closest to the pool for easier retrieval.

Kakashi reached up and dimmed the light overhead; glad it had more than one setting. He didn't care to be left in complete darkness.

Having nothing to do now, Kakashi laid down on his pallet and pulled a beach towel over himself to keep out the dampness since the fire had been allowed to go out. He was tired and with nobody here, he could relax and let sleep take him. This was the safest place he'd ever been in after all and he should take advantage of that before he left. In a few more days, this sanctuary would no longer be his.