Title: Selkie Heart (probably only a working title, though)
Genre: Romance, drama.
Rating: I'm starting out as PG, but it can rise up to R...
Pairing(s): KakaIru, other pairings possible. If you wish for some specific pairing, let me know.
Warnings: Possible spoilers up to episode 106 of the anime, diverts after that (see, I'm still in denial about the whole Sasuke-going-to-Orochimaru ordeal). Other than that, well... You can expect a fair dose of angst, but there is a possibility for full-fledged fluff, too - oh, the horror! Ahem, yeah. Err, I guess that's it.
Author's Note: Hi there. This fic was inspired by a fabulous picture to which I have a link in my bio. The one who drew it dared someone to write a story based on it, so I did. I just hope this fic will do justice to the piece. That's all, I guess. Review?
Oh, yeah. I snatched the title from the artist. I'll change it, though, if I can come up with something.
'blah' - thoughts
"blah" - speech
kakairukakairu - change of scene or POV
Chapter One - Night Swim
A lithe figure trudged wearily along the quiet streets of Konoha, observing its surroundings. The village was still recovering from Orochimaru's attack, so one could still detect broken windows and damaged walls here and there. It was definitely looking better, though, than immediately after the short but fierce war-like state. The figure stretched its hands and sped up. Soon would be midnight, and the break of dawn was only few hours away. When finally reaching the river, Umino Iruka sighed in relief. Tonight, he could once again get a brief taste of freedom, even if it was all pretense.
kakairukakairu
Unbeknownst to the Chuunin, someone else had the same destination. Hatake Kakashi the Sharingan User, Konoha's Copy Ninja, was making his way to the bridge where he usually met his team of insufferable - well, alright, they did all have their good moments, many of them actually, if one wanted to be completely honest - brats. He didn't very often take nightly walks, but he had just finished reading all of Jiraya's books he possessed, and since the old man had been busy lately and thus unable to publish anything new, Kakashi was left bored out of his skull. The silver-haired Jounin would have gone to bed, and had actually tied, but sleep had evaded him. So he was left with no other choice than to randomly walk around, and his feet were guiding him to the bridge out of habit.
Really, one could think that he had no other life than watching over his team nowadays, which was blatantly untrue. There was that former teacher of one of his students, a certain pony-tailed, temperamented, adorable Chuunin who just... 'No, no no no,' Kakashi berated himself, 'not going there, not tonight you aren't. You have got to stop thinking about him, you've seen how all the single women and even some married ones are looking at him. He's probably dating someone anyway.'
The Jounin sighed. Lately, thoughts about Naruto's former sensei just wouldn't leave him alone. He didn't know when or where, but somehow he had managed to fall in love with Iruka. And once he'd realized what all that pleasurably painful anxiousness he experienced near the Chuunin was, he had been too far gone to turn back anymore. He was silently brooding over the subject for the umpteenth time when he arrived at his destination, and his senses immediately alerted him out of his musings. Something was out of the ordinary...
'What the hell is that?'
kakairukakairu
It was pure bliss. To feel the water around him, flowing and swirling in his wake, to have that cold, velvety wetness brushing against his skin. The river wasn't deep so he had to be careful not to be bruised by the rocky bottom, but it was still better than nothing. If only he could do this more often than just a couple of times in a month. Iruka enjoyed the experience to its fullest every single time, and with a bittersweet pain throbbing in his chest knew that he would have to stop soon, step on the land to shed his dolphin skin and be a shinobi of the Hidden Leaf once again. Each time hurt him more than before, and he was starting to have difficulties in preserving his mask. If only his parents hadn't chosen a life on land...
Another presence registered in his senses, and he froze momentarily. It was a familiar one, and after a few seconds he recognized it. Kakashi. Iruka swore in his mind; he was sure that the man had seen him, and knowing the curiosity of the silver-haired Jounin... He would have to get away, and fast. The lithe, graceful form of the dolphin turned, having just enough room to do so in the river, and went to where his bag and clothes were. Getting out of the water, the dolphin started to shed its skin quickly. Iruka kneeled, completely naked, in front of his bag and folded the still wet skin gently but swiftly, placing it inside when done. And just in time. When he was reaching for his hitai-ate that was lying on top of his heap of clothes, he felt Kakashi's presence again.
kakairukakairu
Kakashi chased the odd creature without hesitation when it turned and swam to the direction it had been coming from. He had seen something resembling it once when he was on a mission, but it couldn't possibly be a dolphin. It just didn't make sense. Dolphins lived at sea, there was no way one could have wandered this far from the ocean. He hadn't run more than a couple of minutes before he came to an abrupt halt. He sensed that whatever he had been chasing was gone, and that what was just a short way ahead of him was someone very familiar, none other than the object of his earlier musings.
Stepping from behind a tree, Kakashi witnessed a very wet, very naked Iruka who was in the process of tying his forehead protector into place. The Jounin thanked all the gods he could remember that it was dark, and that he had his mask in place. Iruka was regarding him calmly with deep brown eyes, his dripping hair still down and almost black in the night, the soft light of the full moon illuminating his feminine features to a nearly stunning effect. Kakashi was pretty damn sure he was blushing, and aside from that, about the only thing he could bring himself to think was: 'Beautiful.'
Iruka offered him a small smile. "Good evening, Kakashi-sensei. A beautiful night, is it not?"
A/N: Next chapter, 'Truth unveiled' features a confused Kakashi, a panicking Iruka, another late night swim and some confessions. Will be done some time next week, 'till then, ja ne!