Kakashi's eye narrowed as he watched Kato's hand travel to the small of Iruka's back and settle there. He watched their interactions together with growing irritation as they giggled and murmured to each other quietly. Kato showed Iruka every little thing imaginable, like vases, paintings, and practically whatever he could find as they walked down the narrow, well-lit corridor. They were being very slowly led to their rooms. Yes, plural, meaning that there would be two rooms.
Not only was Iruka's room nowhere near his, eight rooms away, but it was also directly beside Kato's. Kakashi could tell a lot about a person after meeting them, including their weaknesses. It wasn't hard to guess that ill intentions were hiding behind the sheepish smile. Kakashi cleared his throat, his eye narrowing when he was met with a glare for only a fraction of a second. Great, two people hiding behind false pretenses.
"Iruka-sensei and I shall stay in the same room for safety precautions." Kato's eye twitched before he smiled down at Iruka.
"I'm sure Iruka-san is very capable of protecting himself, and besides, his room will be next to mine. I will do anything to protect him if something happens." Iruka blushed and turned his head away from the intense scrutiny of Kato's gaze. Kakashi shook his head nonchalantly, "See, the thing here is that it's not your duty to protect him, it's mine. I have to respectfully ask if there are any rooms with two beds; if not, that's fine."
Iruka frowned the other two men were both so hostile towards each other for seemingly no reason. He looked up at the fine man Kato had become, a jounin at that, with pride for his student. People had been hostile since the moment they stepped through the gates, very different from the last time. He pursed his lips together, glancing towards Kato, "Is there no way for us to room together?" Iruka knew that Kakashi was right; it was best that they shared the same room in enemy territory.
Kato frowned before shrugging, "I just thought that you would be more comfortable in separate rooms. I will have someone make the adjustments immediately." With a snap of his fingers, a chunin was by his side, surprising Iruka with his speed. Kato just pointed at the room closest to his, "Add another bed to that room before dinner in case our guests would like to recline." Kakashi frowned that they were still in the room closest to Kato but said nothing.
Iruka yawned, "We ate before we arrived. I think it is time we retire." Kato looked saddened, but Iruka playfully nudged his stomach with his elbow, "Lessons start at 8 A.M sharp, don't be late. If I catch you running around the village chasing after girls again, I swear to God, I'll make you regret it!" Kato put his hands in his pockets, a sultry smile on his face as he leaned in close enough so that his and Iruka's noses were almost touching. He looked down at the pale lips that would be so easy to simply kiss.
"I'll be waiting." Iruka felt a cold shiver down his spine as Kato's hot breath ghosted against his cheek. Warning signals rang in Iruka's mind, and he tried to lean away. Maybe he wasn't reading the signals Kato threw his way wrong after all. The redhead was his student, though, and Kato had always been a flirt with the people he surrounded himself with as far as he could tell. The young man didn't have a chance to do anything further before Iruka was yanked away by the collar of his vest. Kakashi stood there, his face a blank sheet, "Thank you for your understanding and hospitality."
Iruka nervously laughed it off as a joke, it had to be. He punched Kato's shoulder, "Brat, don't forget who the teacher here is!" Kato smirked, "How could I ever forget, sensei?" Iruka blushed and scratched his cheek absentmindedly. Kakashi smiled and bowed before pulling Iruka into the room and closing the door. He waited several moments for the chakra force to move away before he spoke.
"You need to be more cautious of him; he's dangerous." Iruka rolled his eyes, "You're overreacting, he was joking, he's still just a kid," he dismissed.
"Besides, what was all that at the front gate about?" Kakashi looked around the room, his single eye taking in the futon in the corner. He remained quiet until he was sure there wasn't anyone else listening, before he shrugged.
"I don't know. She knew who I was, though. She most likely has a very good reason to hate me." Kakashi leaned back against the wall, arms crossed as he watched Iruka sit down on the bed. Iruka picked up his pack and set it on his lap before glancing up shyly and taking out a small bag of strawberries. He silently passed one to Kakashi, "Sorry about lying earlier, I didn't think you would sit calmly through dinner." Kakashi shrugged, he slowly pulled down his mask, already knowing that Iruka wouldn't look.
Kakashi watched as Iruka turned the other way, fiddling with his pack and rummaging through its contents. Iruka took out several books he'd planned to use for teaching and scratched his head, " I, uh, didn't think Kato would be a jounin already. I thought he might be a chunin since they wanted me to teach him. I don't know exactly what they want me to do here." Iruka faced the wall as he spoke. He picked up a small bag of grapes before he tossed them behind him, silently hoping the other man would understand. Kakashi caught them effortlessly, "Strawberries and grapes, boy, am I lucky I left the menu to you!"
"I don't need sarcasm from someone who didn't even pack anything. Take it or leave it." Iruka's shoulders sagged as he opened a secondary bag of strawberries and slowly ate them as he looked over his books. Kakashi sat silently as he took in his surroundings. He listened through the walls for any signs of an approaching enemy but found nothing. They must have sat in silence for hours before Iruka closed his books and turned around to look at Kakashi's masked face.
"It's late, we should get to bed." Kakashi smiled, "Sure, I'll stay up a little longer." Iruka frowned, looking as if he wanted to say something again before stopping himself. "Do you mind if I turn the light off?" Kakashi shrugged, "Do whatever you want." Iruka sighed before he flicked the light off. Kakashi watched as Iruka's breathing became slow and even after several minutes. He remained alert before he slowly closed his eyes, hours later, and fell into a state of half-sleep, the kind where you can still sense your surroundings.
…
Iruka yawned loudly as he woke up precisely at six in the morning. He turned to see Kakashi sitting in the same place he'd been the night before. Iruka felt guilty when he saw the unused futon in the corner. He should have offered the bed to Kakashi and not been so selfish, the man was still recovering after all. Iruka had just assumed Kakashi would be all right with the futon since he made no effort for the bed. It was wrong of him to assume. Kakashi seemed to be the type who was content without such things as daily necessities, like food.
Iruka cleared his throat loudly, and Kakashi slowly opened his uncovered eye to peer at the brunette curiously. The teacher straightened the clothes he slept in before he stood up, "Would you like to get breakfast?" Kakashi looked up at the ceiling quickly before he turned his eye to the door, already expecting the knock before it happened. He stood up and stretched as he let Iruka answer the door. A servant was waiting for them, "You've been invited to dine with the young master this morning. If you follow me, I will take you to the dining room for breakfast." Iruka chuckled nervously, "Thanks, just one moment." He looked back at Kakashi to see if he was ready. The only reply he received was a simple shrug, so he took that as a yes. He nodded to the servant as Kakashi sauntered his way behind him, seeming to take in everything with his singular eye.
The servant led them down the spacious hall before pausing and opening the door. He bowed as he gestured for them to enter the room. Kato sat up immediately as Iruka entered the room with Kakashi following close behind. Kato smiled cheekily as he waved at Iruka to join him. Kakashi noticed the quick glare he received, but it did not seem as if Iruka noticed. Kakashi rolled his eye, Kato was a real wolf in sheep's clothing, and Iruka was the next sheep.
"I see you still need to work on your manners." Kato chuckled and stood up to pull the chair out for Iruka. The teacher raised a brow at the gesture, and Kato winked, "I'm a gentleman when I want to be." Iruka shook his head, "Gentleman? You still seem more like a brat to me." Kato smiled, but Kakashi could see he didn't take well to Iruka treating him like a kid. Kato turned his attention to the masked man for a second before returning it to Iruka.
"So, sensei, what's up with the mutt on a leash?" Iruka frowned and hit the boy upside the head, "Have some respect, you may be a higher rank than me now, but don't look down on anyone from the Leaf. He's a very respectable jounin assigned to be my protector. " Kato smiled, "Aren't you proud? I'm way stronger than the genin you once knew. I know a lot of new things now."
"Once an idiot, always an idiot. I suppose you're just a stronger idiot." Kato laughed, and Kakashi watched the transaction carefully. He knew full well Kato's intentions; they were hard to miss unless you were an angel. Kato also seemed to know that Kakashi would be analyzing everything they said carefully. The two bantered playfully before breakfast was brought out. Iruka beamed as he saw the delicious delicacy that was his favorite food from the Mist appear in front of them.
Iruka couldn't remember what they were called, but they were like mini pies filled with fruits and topped with glaze. Iruka moaned loudly as he took his first bite of the sweet and moist pie, the flavors exploding on his tongue in all the right ways. Kato bit his lip, a sly smirk on his face, and put another fruit pie on Iruka's plate. Kakashi was stunned momentarily as he looked at Iruka, whose face was slowly turning red. He'd been caught so off guard he almost forgot they were in enemy territory.
"Sorry, I didn't realize what I did," Iruka coughed as if some food had gone down the wrong pipe. Kato shook his head, obviously pleased by the brunette's reaction.
"I'm glad I remembered they were your favorite," Kato stated. He turned his attention to the Jounin, "Why don't you try one?" Kakashi smiled under his mask and took one off Iruka's plate rather than his own. Iruka looked at him warily before he nodded his approval and turned to engage Kato in conversation again, allowing Kakashi his privacy. Kakashi ate the tart quickly, deciphering the taste for any possible poisons. He had a high tolerance for the poisons and several antidotes, but that didn't mean he couldn't die. He briefly thought about the tasteless poisons Mist ninjas were known to use in case of side effects.
"You two must be close. Iruka was always so finicky about others touching his food," Kato smiled as he eyed Kakashi up and down. Iruka shook his head while he crossed his arms, "I would have been fired if I let the son of the Minister have bad manners! Besides, you had the same thing on your plate, you just don't like vegetables, especially peas." Kato made a quick face of disgust, and Kakashi could tell it was genuine. The expression was childish, and if Kakashi were any other person, he would abandon his insecurities about the kid in front of him, but he knew better.
Kakashi knew better than anyone what could happen when you begin to trust. He learned the hard way about why it was better not to underestimate any ninja. The silver-haired jounin would almost be insulting the boy if he let his guard down. Kakashi continued to remain apathetic towards the situation since it was harder to kill someone you care about. He thought about Rin. She had always brought him bentos so he would eat properly. Kakashi's thoughts turned towards the brunette sitting next to him, smiling fondly at the similarities. He was determined to protect Iruka, he would not fail anyone else he cared about again.
The thought that he cared for the chunin surprised him more than it should. Caring for someone was painful for an ANBU. You could so easily lose them or have that weakness used against you. It was wiser to simply abandon any feelings entirely. Without feelings, it made the job easier and less damaging to the psyche. If you didn't care, you could never get hurt by anyone. Caring was a weakness to a weapon used only for killing.
Kakashi was a broken man, he'd seen and done far too many terrible things in his lifetime. He ran a hand through his spiky hair at the epiphany of him feeling something. Kakashi hadn't cared about anything in years, not even his own life. It had surprised him so much he had let his guard down in the presence of a possible enemy jounin. He schooled his features quickly and vowed never to get distracted like that again.
Kakashi didn't know the depth of his feelings, the sensation being so foreign after so many years. He only knew one thing, and that was that he cared about Iruka in some way or form. Perhaps, just maybe, this is what the Hokage wanted him to know. That, even after years and years of blocking out emotions, he was still human. Kakashi quickly blocked any more newfound emotions; he was still a weapon, and that part hadn't changed. He glanced at Iruka, who was still casually chatting with his old student.
"Excuse me, Iruka-sensei, I think breakfast has gone on long enough." Iruka flushed and looked down at his lap. Kato glared at him for his suggestion before he returned his attention to the brunette. Yet again, Kakashi felt as if he needed a lesson on how to talk to people. He wasn't sure what he said wrong, but to make Iruka embarrassed probably wasn't for the best. Kakashi frowned in confusion. What he said was the truth. They were on a mission, and quite frankly, the sooner they finished, the better.
"Pardon me," Iruka chuckled nervously, "I had forgotten the time." Kato smiled, and Kakashi classified the look in the boy's eyes as adoration. He wasn't quite sure how he felt about that. Kakashi recognized Kato had feelings for Iruka, he was easily able to classify them as love, though he had no experience in that area. He was trained in observing and classifying characteristics of people, it was part of the job description. As he watched Kato, he could tell that those feelings could easily turn volatile if triggered, which was what made him dangerous.
"It's quite all right, sensei.I enjoy watching your passion whilst you talk, it's quite engaging." Kato crossed his hands, smirking as Iruka flushed red again. He enjoyed watching Iruka and even enjoyed simply listening to the sound of his voice. "Since we must, let's get started with our lesson, shall we?" The freckled redhead smiled brightly at his true love of several years. Kato was convinced he could get Iruka to love him back; all he needed was some gentle coaxing. He wasn't evil, he just couldn't let Iruka go and leave him behind all on his own again, not this time. The mist ninja that he had ordered to kidnap Iruka from his village had failed thus far. This time, he would keep Iruka with him at any cost.
Iruka stood up from his chair and stretched his arms behind his back briefly. He made sure to note to himself that Kakashi would get the bed tonight. It was only fair, seeing as how the jounin had looked distracted by something throughout their entire meal. Outwardly, he stayed the same, never expressing any emotion on his poker face, but Iruka knew. He knew that something had bothered Kakashi enough to let his guard down for several seconds. Iruka was impressed by how quickly Kakashi had realized what he had done and how fast he had corrected it. If he hadn't secretly been watching him out of the corner of his eye, he would have missed it entirely.
Iruka was surprised, to say the least, that Kakashi had momentarily dropped his stoic professionalism as a guard. Kakashi was very similar to the elusive ANBU he cared for back home. Iruka had already concluded that they were probably the same person. He knew all the ninjas in the village, there was no way he couldn't put two and two together after observing his behavior for a bit. What other person in their right mind would only bring soldier pills to eat for two weeks? Iruka had also been slightly nosy when he secretly looked at Kakashi's file. He was probably the only person in the village to have a medical file available in emergencies. Anything else had been blacked out, and it was impossible to read.
Iruka had been so distracted by Kakashi while conversing with his student that he felt like a bumbling fool. He had even so unprofessionally disregarded the time, making them thirty minutes later than they should have been. Iruka followed quietly behind Kato as he led them to the room, they would have their lessons. He only looked up from the floor when Kato put his arm in front of Kakashi, blocking him from entering. Kato smirked, "I'm afraid you must remain outside since anything said in this room is strictly confidential information between our villages. I hope you understand."
Kakashi frowned at the way Kato had looked all too pleased to say that sentence. He shrugged lightly before the door quickly slid closed. Kakashi waited for two minutes before he decided to follow his gut and not leave Iruka alone in the room. He lightly walked up to the ceiling, concealing his chakra, before he used an earth jutsu to pass through the ceiling into the attic. Kakashi sighed quietly at the heat of the attic before lightly taking several steps to the left so that he would be over the classroom. He sat down and uncovered his Sharingan so that he could at least see their chakras temporarily.
Kakashi had developed a fine-tuned ear, so he was able to hear the conversation and everything that occurred in the room. He quite frankly didn't care if any of the information was private or confidential; his mission was to protect Iruka. Kakashi was also a hundred percent positive that Kato had locked the door when he closed it. He most definitely didn't want to simply stand by and wait while Iruka was locked in the room with an enemy jounin who had his sights set on him. However, due to Iruka's angelic and caring personality, all innuendos had gone right over his head.
He closed his eye before he took a small bottle out of his weapons pouch. A gift from Centipede, a mosquito, trained to follow only Kakashi's command. While he wasn't willing to give his entire body to a colony of bugs, he did find the stealth of the Aburame clan impeccable. He had copied the technique easily enough so that he could control any bug of his choosing. Kakashi opened the lid and let the small bug go free. He had momentarily forgotten that he had brought the bug along with him.
Kakashi quickly recovered his eye and watched as the mosquito found a small hole in the ceiling to fly through, lucky him. He didn't let his guard down, but he relaxed slightly since now he had the bug to be his eyes, even if it was from a bug's point of view. He unbuttoned a pocket on his vest as he took out the little orange book he brought. Kakashi was at the part where the protagonist was stranded on the island with twelve sexy female models. He quickly resumed where he left off, somehow knowing that Iruka's lesson would last forever.