AN: I hope you'll have as much fun reading this as I had writing it. Enjoy enjoy!
Day 2, the evening : Bells ringing.
The still warm rays of falling dusk danced over and through the silent, small and seemingly harmless-looking light gray house surrounded by a high fence wall. The light began its explorations by creeping over the worn gray boards of the wooden terrace towards two opened doorways, the other leading the curious rays into a big dim training room, the other into the kitchen. The only sound heard inside the kitchen walls was the faint chugging sound of the coffee maker on the counter, as the lines of light stretched on the white cupboard doors, crawled to the ceiling and slowly faded into shadows as the bravest of them moved to explore the dark corridor with three doors. The more shy rays decided to take a peek inside the now silent training room with tatami mats. The light expanded itself in every corner it could possibly find within the wide and ascetic room, delighted when no obstacles obscured its way as it filled the faint dents of missed punches on the floor and the walls with pleasure, save for one rude alarm put against one wall, and before it knew it it had wandered into a smaller room where the sound of kitchen machinery switched into more natural, human sounds.
Sniffling, to be more specific.
Kakashi lowered his Icha Icha Travel-set vol. 3 and cast a nonchalant look at the sleeping form curled up on its own futon, blissfully unconscious and uncaring for the rest of the world around them. It's been two hours since the now faintly snoring sensei had laid his head on his pillow and zoned out almost instantly after having dressed on his black slacks and eaten the small supper Kakashi had prepared for them. It seemed that the man was more worn-out than he had appeared to be. Training with the current chakra reserves was proving to be a bigger challenge for both of them than they had anticipated. The muscle ache was something they were both used to while working as shinobi, true, but then again, they had medical nins to keep them in shape (or alive in jounin's case) whenever injuries happened, or them being skilled enough to deal with them on their own, which was their case during their training before this assignment. In this case, on the other hand, they could only do small healing on the worst sprains, cuts and bruises and it still left a whole bunch of others untreated.
Even the healing bandages they used didn't cover half of their muscles hurting like hell.
A small cough caught the jounin's attention and he gave another brief look at the slumbering chuunin. Maybe Iruka had had similar doubts that their approach on the subject had been miscalculated. They seemed to fight similarly as before the mission, even though they knew very well that they had less chakra in their use than usually. Which basically meant introducing their bodies to a whole different reality than they were used to. Especially when it came to the snoozing bipolar devil ten feet away. In Kakashi's books, Iruka's points had leveled up a few notches during their second day. Fun sparring partner aside, that man was also packed up with a hefty amount of endurance and patience, which was something Kakashi valued highly in his fellow shinobi (and also something briefly reminding him of his first and last three-man cell).
Though the jounin did know better. The tanned sensei in question had been a foreign name in their active mission duty lists because of his very nature plus his status as a good academy teacher. The soundly sleeping man did have a temper like all the levels of hell combined, but to actually kill on everyday basis was a very different matter. Iruka was a man to trust your back to, but only when the situation called for retreat or distraction and either setting or disassembling traps. Kakashi had speculated for a while that the tanned pest performed his profession best when it came to indirect killing. Traps and barriers were obviously the intelligent chuunin's ideal tool, he was after all the one who found the right training seals for them, and the now slightly amused copy-nin did recall a day or two when he had been unlucky enough to get a taste of that inventive sadistic mind that was Umino Iruka.
He had never spent so agonizing eight hours with a mere manila rope and a wooden spatula.
It took three weeks to assure the Hokage that he wasn't into bondage of any kind after the woman had seen the rope marks on his skin, not to mention avoiding Gai for two weeks as the green beast had insisted them to try his new training method called Shinobi Mail Package. Even thinking about the said hemp fiber made his skin itch.
The misused spatula on its part had been promptly annihilated the instant it was flung out of the window with great force and used for target practice for the peeved and appalled lightning user.
Kakashi scratched absently his suddenly itching wrist and resumed his reading as the breathing of the other man evened out again once he had rolled on his side. After a few minutes of eying the always entertaining centerfold images, the cold gray eye turned once more to observe the peaceful sleeper. After three pensive minutes, the silver-haired man had reached his conclusion on the matter.
Enough with giving the man some rest, it was time to make the brown-haired thorn on his ass pay for messing with his crown jewels.
For the second time.
Iruka woke up to an enticing scent that slithered its way into his dream. The dark eyes opened up into thin slits as the chuunin in question tried to dig his memory for why that particular scent sent bells ringing in his head. And why they resembled alarms going off by now.
That was the scent of steeping tea.
But not just any tea.
The current painwave be damned, the academy instructor had never thought he could heave himself up so effortlessly from his futon and stumble to the training room from where the now all too familiar scent was wafting into his nostrils. The alarm bells started to chime with a little higher pitch and with a slightly faster tempo as he finally found the correct specimen from the vast tea archives he had built up in his memory over the years as a happy tea addict.
That was his evening oolong with the faint palate of airy sweetness and ripe fruit flesh in the aftertaste.
The slightly disoriented sensei stopped abruptly to the threshold between their bedroom and training room as his eyes finally managed to focus on the sight before him. There was Kakashi, sitting cross-legged on the floor with one of his porn books in one hand and a coffee mug in the other. The object gaining Iruka's full attention wasn't the man nor his current centerfolds, though. It was the small set of one tea pot and a cup sitting innocently on a tray right in front of the jounin who seemed to be completely absorbed into his book. The sight unraveling before the chuunin was calm and collected altogether.
"...Maa, evening, Iruka-sensei. Had a good nap? I made you some tea."
Hell, the alarm was downright roaring in his head at that moment.
"...What's this, Kakashi-san?" Iruka knew he shouldn't ask, he shouldn't let the curiosity get the better of him, but damn that sweet, sweet lingering aroma was so tempting and being right there for him to take and for the life of him he couldn't think a maneuver so skilled to just snatch that tray and fortify himself into their bedroom without getting that far too smug-looking bastard on his back. It seemed the situation was to be handled with a different tactic. Iruka swallowed the nervous tension down and slowly settled to sit across from the now reading man, not noticing how the bored gray eye watched every twitch of his muscles, counting hundreds of counterattacks based on every second it took for Iruka to sit down cross-legged on the floor. The dark, speculating eyes eyed the tray and its contents before rising back to examine the mismatched eyes which arched into happy crescents.
"I found your stash of tea and took the liberty to prepare you some. I hope that's okay."
One slender eyebrow rose to meet that sentence and the wariness in the observing gaze tripled. Then the eyes shifted back to stare at the strange offer of truce Iruka hoped it to be. He knew better, though. Friendly gestures and Hatake Kakashi were an equation which was usually reserved for situations called 'Enjoy while you still breathe through only two holes in your head for another five minutes'. At least in their case. If he remembered correctly, the previous one occurred right after that hilariously entertaining escapade with the-
For the briefest moment the cinnamon chuunin wondered if it could actually be possible to become deaf due to the violent decibels booming inside one's head.
"...It's alright..Kakashi-san. This type is my favorite." He may be maimed in seconds, but he would still take a sip even if it killed him. Slowly and carefully Iruka reached for the tea pot, glanced at the slightly smiling jounin, poured calmly the oh so delicious beverage into his cup and took an experimenting sniff on the scent. As he didn't find a trace of any drug he could recognize, the now seemingly nervous sensei prayed fervently that the jounin wasn't psycho enough to go and try the odorless, equivalent of the deadlier, drugs on him. He didn't kick that hard, nor as accurately as-
"It'll get cold if you keep just breathing it, sensei. Unless this blend was something you just sniffed, for in that case I won't stop you."
Iruka let a low warning growl rumble from his throat at those smoothly said words before moving the cup to his lips, inhaling the airy aroma accompanied with his prayers for the last time and giving the last piercing glare at the way too expectant-looking jounin sitting across him..
...and took a slow sip.
It took a moment for Iruka to realize that the sound of bells wasn't anymore heard from inside his head.
It came from somewhere much, much lower.
"...Maa, I'd just sit still and listen carefully for a moment if I were you, sensei." The smooth, low voice rumbled suddenly right next to his ear and the teacher took a second to understand that the jounin had moved from his spot to crouch right before him, leaning that mangled yet firm body so close that it was shinobi's equivalent of feeling up someone, while the pale hand had taken a strong hold on his hand that was still holding the tea cup on his lips, and the masked lips hovered next to a honey-toned ear. Iruka was taken a bit back for having his pulse speed up suddenly without warning, and the already chilled tea felt much hotter against his lips. Did the man put some poison after all in his tea since it was so hard to breath all of a sudden? The lean body shifted its muscles and Iruka felt a shudder travel down his spine.
"...May I assume that Naruto always ranted to you about our training methods when I had the official permission to torment those three?" The low and dangerous voice resonated near his ear and after a second the teacher realized he was holding his cup in a very much tighter grip. Iruka felt himself nod stiffly at the question, the words long dead on his tongue.
"...Good. Then you know already half of the idea I got and what I'd like us to try." The small pressure on his right hipbone would have sent Iruka jerking back if he hadn't been so well trained to know when it was highly recommended to stay rooted on the spot if one didn't wish to examine one's internal organs spilled on the floor for a closer look. He could hear a faint chiming of a small bell and felt the deft fingers fiddle with the waistband of his trousers, attaching something on the black fabric. Something light which now hanged from his slacks against his thigh.
"I assume you have also discovered some difficulties and misjudged approaches we've had on this mission, neh?" Kakashi leaned back on his heels and gave the chuunin the much needed air between them. It was interesting for the jounin to see the usually very verbal teacher rendered speechless, furthermore witness how well the man had actually been trained for what it came to controlling one's body. Although the scarlet blush reaching to the watched man's hairline and down his dark neck made Kakashi's evening more than enough.
"...Y..Yes, I have, Kakashi-san." Iruka swallowed thickly as he filled his lungs with air and lowered his cup on his lap before his dark eyes narrowed their look at the masked man still sitting way too close for comfort. "The way we have been fighting resembles the previous times before we were given this task. That may become a problem, since our bodies are in a different situation now." The small nod gave him courage enough to continue. "It seems that my muscles have been in a shock since yesterday, and even if it is only a question of time when they would adjust and start working properly with this method we're using, it would be foolish to keep up the current way of sparring we have. It would become a threat for this mission since accidents tend to happen when one gets immersed into the things that are done...one of us might get severely injured, with or without the other's help." The dark gaze was again back to its professional hardness as the last words left the cinnamon lips. "We will fail this mission if we didn't retract our current approach on this subject and find another methods to put into use."
The small silence stretched between them as the dark brown eyes bored into one narrow gray. The two shinobis measured one another, carefully weighing their options on the dilemma they now had in their hands, as well one another's capability to finish their mission without any hitches. Then the older man's eyes smiled brightly and Iruka could once again hear the sound of a small bell as the older man scooted back, took the now cold tea from Iruka's hand and took their drinks with the small tray back to the kitchen. Iruka snuck a look down to see what was it that the silver-haired man had attached on him, only to spot an innocent silver bell hanging against his thigh at the end of a thin red thread. The moment he recognized the bell the eccentric name of one particular jutsu he was introduced with by his favorite blond bane of existence came smacking him down on the head and his cheeks heated up once again in mere two seconds.
'One thousand years of pain.'
He should have kicked harder. Then it would be reasonable.
"Should we begin our last round for the day then, sensei?"
Iruka snapped his eyes to look at the older man who stood by the alarm. The teacher stood up as well and straightened his drooping ponytail while he glanced at the other man's waist and spotted the bell that he knew had to be there. After all, he knew there were supposed to be two bells and also he knew fairly well the impressive (and rather vengeful) mind of Hatake Kakashi when it came to creating sparring lessons. The teacher had no doubts that the genius had come up with a solution he just needed to have Iruka's consent for. A confirmation the chuunin had just now provided by telling the man his own findings. A wry, lopsided smirk tugged Iruka's lips and he shook his head a little, gaining a wondering glance from his opponent. The grin stretched itself fully on the tanned face as the teacher met the speculating look in that gray eye.
"Saa, just figured that you're not called genius for nothing, Kakashi-san. Same for an utter jerk, though." Iruka chuckled brightly at the slightly appalled look he received before the ex-ANBU recomposed himself and gave a small awkward cough.
"...Maa, flattering words aside, I thought we could use some basic methods to see what our bodies can actually achieve without pushing them too far all the time. Besides, our muscles will kill us in our sleep if we were to torture them any more than we have already." The older shinobi set the timer for thirty minutes and Kakashi could feel the eyes observing him keenly as he put the alarm back on the floor against the wall and righted himself back up.
"What basics do you mean, Kakashi-san?" Iruka had to wonder on which scale Kakashi was evaluating their skills. If the meant basics were designed for jounin or ANBU then what was only playing games for the jounin was highly over the top for Iruka. If they were the ones meant for chuunin and genin, on the other hand..well, then he had a bored bingo book bugger in his hands, which was way worse than being dragged into the insanity that was jounin training.
The mismatched eyes both crinkled into happy smile, and, with all the honesty left somewhere in him, Kakashi couldn't help but admit that he really enjoyed the situation he was about to put them into. If his estimates were correct, they could actually have plenty of good results instead of giving Tsunade-sama a valid reason to be drunk during duty. Hell, he could almost describe the feeling in his gut as 'giddy'.
"We'll play the game of it."
The stunned look on the tan face made his year.
"..Come again? Kakashi-san, with all due respect-"
"Don't underestimate the inventiveness and endurance of toddlers for what it comes to effective training, sensei. Pay better attention to their games the next time you see them at it. You might learn a thing or two from them. Now then, since we have only twenty-five minutes left..." Kakashi took a better stance, clearly signaling the other man that the time for chit-chat was long over. "...The rules are simple. We will both do the chasing. You get the bell, you win. You lose the bell, you lose your morning tea."
"WHAT?!"
"Simple, neh? Or would you want me to draw it-"
"Why the hell am I the only one who would lose something in case you snatch my bell? That's not fair, Kakashi-san!"
"Maa, that's beside the point-"
"It is definitely a point! You should also lose something in case I manage to snatch that thing from you." Iruka knew he was sulking, and he could see the smug ass enjoy every second of it, but damn it he would not play the game with unfair rules! His sense of justice was in the past the reason he was usually always the referee for what it came to childhood games, and he didn't intend to tarnish that nicely created reputation either. The amused glance from the slightly more narrowed gray eye made him reconsider his words, though.
"Oh, I will, sensei."
"What then?"
"Professional pride."
Iruka blinked for that sentence several times before the meaning behind those words sunk in. For the more ignorant, those words would have seem gallant, even humble and mature, but the now seething sensei was as far from being ignorant as Genma-san was from being a prudish, blushing virgin bride.
That obnoxious, pompous, arrogant monkey's ass was insulting him.
"..Fine then." Kakashi felt a smug grin form on his masked lips as the glorious glow on those cheekbones settled on a fainter tinge of clear irritation when Iruka took an offensive stance and pierced the jounin with eyes that blazed with imminent doom. "...I'll take on that offer, Kakashi-san, as well as I will, with all my might and professionalism, take those bells from you. All three of them."
If a look could kill, the jounin on the receiving end estimated it would hardly even do a scratch on him since he would already be a charred, smoking lump of ash and bones by that velvety, heated voice alone. Thus he couldn't help but add one more barrel of gunpowder in that fire.
"Better three than just one, neh, sensei?"
The distant sound of a very strained string snapping finally was sweet music to his ears. [1]
Iruka let out an enraged shout as he ducked down and all but surged at the other man, either to get the bell or the jounin's balls, both options something that Kakashi wasn't too keen to find out. The jounin dodged by leaping to the side, only to get face to face with the chuunin since he forgot to anticipate how quick reflexes the younger man had developed while having Naruto in his class. Kakashi spun around to the opposite direction on the balls of his feet and quickly rounded the sensei from the man's backside, but the man had already caught on his plan and shifted his hips away from the reaching fingers as he too spun around and stepped a few feet away from the other. They stood there, both men carefully assessing their hurting muscles and how far they could actually go with their new game. Iruka leaned down a bit and kneaded his thighs without losing his sight on the other man, and was delighted to see the considering look on the masked face. It was good to know that despite their differences the sense of pain seemed to be equal for them.
Kakashi shifted his weight from one leg to other before going for Iruka's bell, giving the chuunin hardly an opportunity to shield it as one pale hand made an attempt to grab the teacher's side and the other take the glinting prize. Iruka twisted his hips away and dashed backwards, dodging in every way he could as he held his bell away from those nimble hands. Kakashi plummeted aggressively forward but his intimidating approach was greeted with a sharp slap on his palm and another slap on the back of his head as Iruka stepped away from him and sent him staggering past the tanned man. The stunned jounin stilled for a moment before turning his head to look at the suddenly pretty confident man taking a better stand behind his back. A playful smirk stretched on Iruka's face and his dark eyes glinted with mischief as he gave the jounin an over-exaggerated and slow once-over and cocked his brown-haired head to the side.
"In case you've forgotten, copy-nin-san, you're speaking to an academy teacher. Observing toddlers is what I do best. And dealing with one in particular is my specialty."
The low huff hit him like a shock wave through the suddenly very tense ambiance. In seconds the older man was right next to the younger one and before he knew it it took all of Iruka's concentration to focus on the hands all over him by grabbing, pushing, hitting and twisting them away from his bell and his already sweating torso. The men fell into frantic game of tag as they both made simultaneous efforts on dodging and snatching the bells that filled the room with their high pitched chimes. Kakashi grabbed one of Iruka's hands that had already managed to stroke the metal surface of the bell and yanked the sensei towards him in order to make the man lose his game and give Kakashi an easy win. He cursed under his breath as the ever so damned fast and flexible sensei spun around with his other hand still held captive, took hold on the reaching jounin's hand with his other and backed them roughly up against the nearest wall, his body pinning the jounin behind his back. They pulled, twisted, shook and pushed, but neither of them would let go of the other's wrist nor would manage to free the caught hand from the other's grip. In order to win the fight by surprise factor, Kakashi quickly let go of Iruka's hand and swiftly jabbed for the bell but found his wrist taken into firm hold before his fingers could trace more than the red thread. Iruka leaned rapidly forward and then all but slammed his back against the other man behind him, hearing the pleasing sound of flesh hitting hard wall and feeling a small gust of breath against his neck as Kakashi let out a sharp hiss. Iruka felt his hands tremble already as he fought to keep a good hold onto the struggling man while he repeated his tactic of hitting the man with his back for a couple of times more in hopes for wearing the man out before his hands lost their strength.
The sharp sting of teeth biting into his neck caught him by surprise and he let out a shocked cry as his body arched and jerked violently, giving the more experienced nin an opening the man had been patiently waiting for.
Kakashi freed his hands from the now sloppy grips and shoved the sensei off of him, then took a good hold of the stumbling man's shoulder, yanked him backwards and kicked the popliteal areas of the man's legs. Iruka dropped on his back to the ground with a loud thunk, grimacing in discomfort as his muscles opposed the sudden change of position and the rather hard impact. After a small silence the sensei inhaled calmly and carefully crawled up on his heels in order to squat on the floor, a nervous smile tilting his lips as he cautiously tilted his dark head to look at the stoic jounin who hovered above him.
"..I'm not usually the one to get the rules wrong, but...Why didn't you take it?"
"Five more minutes, sensei."
The dawning look of horrid realization in those dark brown eyes was a feast to his ego.
"..Stop that."
"Maa, stop what?" Snicker.
"You know perfectly well what."
"As elaborate as always, eh." Another snicker.
"That unnerving snickering, you ass. Besides, it's your fault."
"Maa, I didn't build the walls here. If I did...well, no, they would be exactly as rude as they're now." Snicker turned into chuckle. "Furthermore, wasn't it someone else who first decided to try making a jounin-shaped hole in one of them? That wall had all the reason to be rude, sensei."
"Oh go and fu- GYAGH! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!"
"Putting on some ice-"
"NOT ON MY GROIN, YOU PERV!"
"Maa, my bad...Do you want me to-"
"Whatever you're mulling on that masked tongue I swear I'll punch that smirking mouth of yours so hard my fist will rip a hole into that pathetic piece of fabric and then mutilate your lower face so thoroughly that you'd actually have a reason to hide it if those next words hold any innuendos in them, Hatake-san."
"Maa, maa, aren't we touchy today, sensei."
"So would you be with a lump the size of Bull's snout on your temple", Iruka mumbled and winced as Kakashi made the last swipes on the small cut on the throbbing, bruised temple and then covered it with a healing bandage before putting a small bag of ice against it. Iruka grunted and took hold of the ice pack and pressed it against his head. Never had he even considered the possibility to be able to humiliate himself so utterly in mere five minutes. That must be his record.
"You're not feeling dizzy, are you?" Kakashi sat next to the man on the terrace and gave a concerned look despite the amused tone. He could also heal that injury, but then again it did seem like the ones that hurt only for a while before settling for a mere bruise, and they had healing bandages for a reason. At least the teacher didn't show any signs of concussion.
"No, I don't feel like fainting or anything. Thank you...though..for getting the ice." Iruka sighed and rubbed his eyes in a frustrated manner with his free hand. The men stayed silent, both lost in their thoughts as the sounds of nightlife crept over the fence. The dim lights of the streets glowed over the rim of the wooden boards and they could hear the bustling sounds of shinobis and civilians alike as they made their ways into their homes, to their lovers or to just grab a drink or four.
Kakashi leaned back on the terrace floor and put his hands under his head before lifting his eye to observe the dark sky above them. The day had been both excruciating and fun on most parts, save the constant ache they both felt in their bodies. They had fulfilled the tasks given to them obediently, missing a stretch or two occasionally by accident, and the samples were ready for Tsunade-sama's visit for the next day, and his ego was once again content due to his latest win. Yet the copy-nin had a feeling that something was amiss here. The gray eye glanced at the tanned man who was still nursing his head.
"Iruka-sensei."
"Mm-hmm?"
"How do you actually feel when you fight with me?"
The dark eyes, almost black in the night's shadows, landed on the gray one and the teacher shifted a little in order to lean against the beam behind him. The tanned face was unreadable for a while before Iruka cocked an eyebrow. "What do you mean by that, Kakashi-san?"
"..Ah, well, you know, me being the elite and all that." Kakashi shrugged awkwardly. "I mean, you don't seem to be afraid of me even when many others are."
"Ah. That." Iruka's lips tilted into a small smile. "What gives you the impression that I'm not?"
Now that was an answer Kakashi didn't expect. He propped himself on his elbows and studied the man in front of him before his gray eye turned into a flat look. "You're mean to me."
The bright bark of laughter echoed at the small backyard as well in the empty rooms of the training house and once again the famous sharingan user had the questionable privilege to witness Umino Iruka on the verge of hysterics. The tanned man laughed hard and loud for a good few minutes before he winced and yet again pressed the ice pack against his head while wiping his eyes with his other hand. The brown eyes turned to look at the disgruntled jounin with amusement and the sensei stifled a chuckle behind his hand as the look he received took a turn to honest malevolence.
"And..and how does that give you the impression that I'm not afraid of you?" Iruka had a hard time to keep the guffaws to himself when he was faced with the pouting elite. Really, that man was the walking nightmare to most shinobi, both foe and ally, and here he was, a mere teacher, seeing the same man sulk like a five-year-old.
"Since most persons know they wouldn't live any longer if they pissed me off. Yet you just seem to gain more spark in your system everytime we fight", Kakashi said with a rather flat tone even though he was slightly fuming in his mind. Damn that teacher and the man's own inside jokes on his expense. Maybe if he could someday use his Sharingan on that bastard he could see what made the man so confident that he had no qualms on laughing his ass off in front of Hatake Kakashi, moreover at Hatake Kakashi.
"Saa, but that doesn't mean that I'm not scared of you on some degree, Kakashi-san. Maybe that's actually the key factor as to why I want to fight with you. Have you ever considered that option?" Iruka cocked an eyebrow and glanced at the sky above them, admiring the starry darkness as well enjoying the blissful silence that was sweet music to his ears for the full three seconds it lasted. Small joys.
"Why would you train with a man whom you're scared of?" With all due respect to the life and its twisted sense of irony, the jounin felt more than just baffled at that moment. Why would Iruka have willingly sought him out months ago in order to beat the crap out of him after his latest stunt if the man was afraid of him?
"I just do. It's as simple as that", Iruka said and gave a small shrug. "And it's easier to not hold back when fighting with a more or less stranger rather than sparring with a close friend, even though we've become more like acquaintances nowadays. Besides, you're a really good sensei, Kakashi-san, with all things considered", and with that Iruka gave a pointy look at the two Icha Ichas lying next to Kakashi.
"But that would also make you to push yourself harder than you should, sensei", Kakashi said slowly and sat up on the wooden floorboards in order to cast a more serious gaze at the teacher who gave a small shrug on that argument. "You're doing it now as well, even when you know you're a fine opponent as you are and I won't hold your rank against you. Except to rile you up occasionally."
Iruka gave a snort at that, he knew perfectly well how good ammo the other man had against his ego. "I know. But that's what we've been fixing for the last months among the other things, neh?" He said and turned once again to look at the sky.
Kakashi followed his gaze and fiddled his fingers on his lap. The teacher was right, that was the first thing they started to work with after their initial match back then as soon as Iruka had been able to walk properly again. And the man had improved quite well from there, Kakashi gave him that, but they were still missing something vital for Iruka to really feel confident enough as Kakashi's sparring partner in order to stop abusing his body that much.
"..I'm also aware of the huge gap we have between us, Kakashi-san, and I'm not trying to cover it...but to make myself a little bit more compatible for what it comes to battles..that would be more than sufficient." Kakashi's ears perked on the surprisingly somber voice and as he turned to look at the man he saw the teacher unwrap the healing bandage from his head and fold it into a neat bundle. The cinnamon lips were drawn into a grim line and the dark eyes were pensive, as if the man was carefully assessing his next words. "I want to be able to protect the others more than I have been capable of. Not to mention the one in particular."
The evening sounds filled the otherwise silent air as the two shinobi let the words float into the vast sky expanding over the village they both held dear. They both knew the trying times were on their way as soon as the most hyperactive ninja [2] ever trained to this profession came back through the front gates, as well they knew they'd do all they could to help the kid on his way to achieve his dreams.
The sudden clicking sound shook Kakashi out of his heavy thoughts and his gaze sought out the sensei who had somehow managed to sneak on the other side of him. What made the gray eye widen and the silver eyebrows twitch rather violently wasn't the evil smirk on that bruised face, but the seemingly innocent-looking wooden box that had swallowed his beloved books. Iruka slowly backed at the dark yard with the box under his arm as the thundering glare followed his every step and the jounin's muscles tensed visibly. The crazy smirk on the chuunin's face said it all.
"I'm not above messing with your porn collection either."
As the night fell the citizens of Konoha were blissfully unaware how considerate their Hokage had been when she designed the soundproof barrier around the small, seemingly harmless-looking house which filled with the echoes of loud cries, shouts, foul curses, mad laughter and crashing sounds as the two shinobi, both regarded as the most professional and responsible among their peers, fell into a frenzied game of tag involving a wooden box, two porn books, bag of ice, two meters of bandage and an unfortunate tea pot.
AN: Three's a charm, neh? Number four in progress.
[1] The best sound to describe when Iruka-sensei snaps, can be witnessed in the very first episode in the Naruto series. Still gives the giggles.
[2] Been bumping into this description about Naruto a lot in the past, and it's just simply genius with its contradiction. Whoever thought about it first, you have my respect.
