Coming straight at you from the stratosphere it's the 19th installation of Tah-Dah! Our Amazing Life!!

(No, seriously, I wrote part of this on a plane :P)

Chapter 19: Schoolyard Brawls and The Two Worlds

They didn't allow Kakashi to go home that night. Something about having to run more tests. Iruka had left promising the masked man that he would bring the boys in a bit later that night if he could "Because they'll definitely want to see you" Iruka had kissed his forehead. A lingering, chaste little thing and Kakashi wished that he could have seen the expression on the darker man's face as he placed it.

After the brunet had walked out the door Kakashi was left to stare pointlessly up at the ceiling. He was restless. More than anything he just wanted to go home, sit and read in his chair in the living room while the boys did their homework. Prepare and eat dinner with the two brothers then go to bed. He had never really desired for things to be 'normal' before. Sure, once upon a time he had occasionally wished that his dead friends were still alive but he never really reflected on his life itself. He was tired. He wished he weren't born what he was. That Hatake Sakumo had met and fell in love with some other woman than his mother. That he wasn't one of the most skilled 'artisans' the underworld had ever seen. That he had gone to a regular school and had had classmates turned friends rather then fellow squad members turned comrades. That he had kept both of his own eyes throughout childhood and that Obito had been able to keep his own to watch over Rin himself.

He wished he had gotten to meet Fugaku Uchiha and his wife. Who knows if they were nice people but he was certain that if the two were capable of raising Itachi and Sasuke that they were at the very least, good people. He wished Itachi had never had the reason to find that knife in his closet. The reason being that it was there in the first place. The boy was already... Wait a minute... What was the date?

He looked at the clock right above his head then rolled his eyes at the poor placement. He looked at the monitors beside his bed, still keeping track of his heartbeat and other things he didn't really care about at the moment but they held no indication of the date either. Finally, he decided on buzzing for the nurse.

A young woman entered with a kind but seemingly rehearsed sort of smile. "Hatake-san, It's wonderful to see you awake!" She chirped.

"Thank you."

"I'll go and tell Abe-sensei. Do you need anything at the moment?"

"Could you tell me the date?"

"Oh, it's the tenth. June tenth, I mean."

"Thank you."

"Anything else you need Hatake-san?"

"No, thank you."

"Alright, Abe-Sensei will be here as soon as possible." She left.

"Shit." Kakashi sighed. Itachi was 17 now and had probably had one of the worst birthdays since he had turned fourteen. Shit. Shit. Shit.

With Iruka

Iruka stood outside the front entrance to the boy's school waiting for Naruto and Sasuke-kun to emerge. He felt lighter after seeing Kakashi speaking and behaving normally, the thing that concerned him the most, even more than the brief glance he had gotten of that -he shuddered- horrible eye was how Kakashi had reacted to waking up strapped to the gurney. The man most definitely had a very bad case of PTSD. Iruka wondered if Kakashi had ever sought professional help for that.

The last bell rang and within moments little humans were pouring out of the building eagerly. Kotetsu-san was scolding a few of the kids running recklessly through the crowd of their fellows and Iruka had to fight the urge to grab the little turds by the backs of their shirts and give them a thorough talking to. His eye caught a flicker of orange. He searched until he spotted the spiky blonde head of his adoptive son and quickly made his way over. He felt a small jolt of dread when he spotted Naruto on his own.

"Naruto, where's Sasuke-kun?" He asked once he had caught the little blonde's attention. Naruto looked up with a small frown.

"Sazaki-Sensei kept him after class."

"Why?"

"He hit Oku."

Iruka's eyes flew wide in surprise but after a moment he sighed. "Wait inside the doors okay? I'll be back in a minute. Don't go anywhere."

"Alright, alright."

"You only had to say 'alright' once." Iruka rolled his eyes but he ruffled his boy's hair -Much to aforementioned boy's chagrin- and went inside.

With Sasuke

"You may very well be the top of your class but that does not make you entitled to a free pass, young man." Sazaki-sensei stated. "In fact it could be said that you setting such a poor example is much worse than if a child with average grades were to do so. After all, you set the goal for the rest of your classmates to strive to meet."

Sasuke grit his teeth but remained silent.

"So what made you think that hitting another child was acceptable?."

Sasuke's insides burned with rage but he still didn't look at the stupid teacher and refused to speak a word.

"Trouble at home? What made you-"

Two sharp raps at the door interrupted the stupid man. Sasuke kept his gaze averted to the small window in the office-sized room as Sazaki-sensei went to answer the door.

"Umino-san, what can I do for you?" Sazaki-sensei asked. Sasuke's head whipped up to look in the direction of the door.

"Sazaki-sensei, do you mind if I have a moment with Sasuke-kun?" Iruka-sensei asked. He was different though. His eyes were... Sasuke couldn't think of any other way to describe them other than cold. His mouth was stretched into a smile tighter than it usually was and his voice was cheerful in a stiff sort of way. It was obvious that Iruka-sensei liked Sazaki-sensei even less than Sasuke did.

"Pardon?" Sazaki-sensei asked.

"I'm here to pick him up."

"That's odd. Why can't one of his parents pick him up?" Sasuke's lips curled into a silent snarl.

"Sazaki-sensei, please." Iruka-sensei's face froze even more into that frighteningly fake smile. Sasuke stood from his chair grabbed his backpack from the floor beside it before going up to the pony-tailed man. Iruka-sensei smiled softly down at him and Sasuke was slightly relieved that it wasn't the same creepy smile that had been directed at Sazaki-sensei. Iruka-sensei knelt in front of him. "Kakashi's awake." Sasuke's eyes went wide and again he felt a pressure in his throat. "The doctors have a few more tests to run so you'll be staying another night with me, is that alright?"

Sasuke nodded. "I want to go see him." He stated quietly.

"Visiting hours are until eight tonight, so we should be able to manage that, easily." Iruka-sensei answered. Sasuke turned and headed for the door. "But it'll have to wait a little while" The teacher stated catching the boy gently by the shoulder. "First let's get this settled."

"You're close with his family?" Sazaki-sensei asked crossing his arms and looking more than a little irritated.

"I suppose I'm close enough. Could we perhaps postpone this, Sazaki-san? Right now isn't a very good ti-."

"I'm sure it wasn't a very good time for Oku-kun to get his nose broken or his lip split but it still happened." Sazaki-sensei interrupted.

"Look, I know you're doing your job as best as you can right now. But frankly I have to go and pick this boy's brother up and take both of them to see their guardian." Iruka-sensei's face was turning redder every passing second, his lips thinning into severe, white line.

"Again, why can't they pick his brother up?"

Sasuke spotted a muscle ticking in Iruka-sensei's jaw. The look Iruka-sensei directed down at him was apologetic however, and he spoke softly with muted irritation as he lifted his now thoroughly annoyed gaze to look at the stupid sensei. "Sasuke-kun's guardian is in the hospital, Sazaki-san."

Sazaki-sensei finally clamped his mouth shut. He found his words again a few moments later. "I'll let him go for today, but as soon as his parent's out of the hospital I will be certain to give him a call."

"Thank you, Sazaki-sensei." Iruka-sensei nodded and stepped aside ushering Sasuke through the door.

Sazaki was an angry little man on a tiny power trip. He seemed to enjoy playing the good cop bad cop routine with kids. He saw himself as a strict but beloved teacher while anyone with half a brain would be able to tell that the man's students ignored his orders half the time due to a severe lack of respect and affection on both sides.

He was somewhat infamous among his co-workers as well for his irritating habit of bragging loudly about nothing particularly interesting while the rest of them tried doing their work. Of course, Iruka had tried giving him a chance once upon a time and every occasionally he fooled himself that it may be worth it to start a conversation with the man but there was no denying what Sazaki was: A first class dickhead.

Sasuke-kun scowled at his shoes but remained quiet. With a small, tired sigh Iruka scratched his chin and came to a stop, simultaneously touching Sasuke-kun's shoulder as a signal for him to wait for a moment. "You probably don't want to talk about it but Kakashi will most likely want to hear about this from you and me or the Sarutobi-san." He stated. As he bent down to get closer to the boy's eye-level he finally noticed the moderately deep split in the his eyebrow where an elbow or something must have caught him in the scuffle. He tsked softly murmuring "They didn't even let you go get that patched up before getting shipped off to him." Sasuke-kun crossed his arms in front of his chest. "Let's go get this cleaned up before we leave, hm?" He hummed starting to walk again this time with the new goal of reaching the nurses office. They had gotten Naruto along the way and the boy had occupied himself by trying his damnedest to give the school nurse an aneurysm. Iruka had scolded him a couple times but it seemed that the little blonde was in an odd mood and so Iruka had banished him to a chair by the door and had told him not to move. Naruto had been sulking ever since.

"Is there anywhere you can stay for a little while near the school? We'll only be a few extra minutes." Iruka asked the teenager on the other end of the line, cradling his phone between the side of his head and his shoulder as he occupied both arms wetting a cloth.

"I should be fine, Deidara has something he wants my help with so this actually works out well." Itachi-kun stated.

"I'm glad to hear it, We'll be over by quarter till?"

"Mm." Itachi-kun hummed distractedly.

"Alright, see you soon."

"Oh yes, good bye then."

Iruka hung up and slid his phone into his pocket wringing out the wet paper towel. Itachi-kun must have been exhausted. "Sasuke-kun." He called. "Mind sitting on the edge of the table? I can reach you easier that way." Sasuke-kun silently complied. He hopped up onto the table and sat on the end. "Thank you." Iruka muttered distractedly leaning over him and brushing his hair away from his face.

"Oku was talking too much." Sasuke-kun mumbled as a gentle hand dabbed a wet cloth against his split eyebrow cleaning away the semi-crusted blood.

Iruka's eyes flitted down to make contact with the large dark orbs of Kakashi's young ward. "So it was something you didn't want to hear much about I take it?"

Sasuke-kun glared off to the side with a soft huff emitting from his little nostrils. "He was just being an idiot."

"How so?"

Sasuke-kun hesitated for a moment before finally stating. "He said he wished his parents weren't around so he wouldn't have to do homework or clean his room."

Iruka quietly carried on, he remembered those days of resentment towards other children. He especially remembered having the same urge to lash out at them in order to make them somehow understand how well they had it. He caught sight of Sasuke-kun's hand, the knuckles of the middle and pointer finger were split and crusted with dried blood.

"There are a lot of children who don't know the true value of family yet. It's horrible that they say such things but you must understand that they're not out to hurt you when they do so it's not right to hurt them." Sasuke-kun scowled at his knees as if he wanted to tell Iruka that he didn't care what he thought was right or wrong. Dabbing at Sasuke-kun's knuckles he smiled wryly "I'm sure a lecture is the last thing you want to hear right now so please just know this: You don't have to shoulder everything on your own, alright?" Sasuke-kun's eyes widened for a moment a glazed look flashed through them. When it looked like Sasuke-kun had come back down to Earth, Iruka smiled and began swabbing alcohol onto the the wounds. The boy hissed slightly but Iruka squeezed the hand gently. "You have Kakashi-san and Itachi-kun, Naruto and I are on your side as well." he stated. Large dark eyes watched him with an appraising quality to them and Iruka allowed it simply carrying on with what he was doing.

"Sensei, I'm bored." Naruto whined from his chair.

"Well come over here then." Iruka stated beckoning his boy over to the table. Naruto slid off of his seat and wandered over. "We're going to visit Kakashi-san after we've picked Itachi-kun up, is that alright?"

Naruto nodded vehemently. "Yeah! He's gonna be alright?"

"It seems so." Iruka replied. He glanced over at Sasuke-kun and with an apologetic droop of his mouth he stated. Sasuke-kun looked off towards a jar of tongue depressors on the counter nearby. He jumped slightly as Iruka's hand reached over and touched his shoulder. "He'll be happy to see you, I'm sure." Sasuke-kun stared at him, his dark eyes slightly wider than usual and Iruka wondered, as he usually did around Sasuke-kun, what was going on inside the boy's brilliant little head. He shot him a lopsided smile as he pressed on the last bandage. "Now, let's go get Itachi-kun, hm?"

"Are you really with Kakashi?" Sasuke-kun asked out of the blue halfway through the drive to the high school. Iruka froze and turned to look at the child in the back seat. Naruto grinned widely "Yeah! Iruka-sensei told me himself."

Sasuke-kun stared expectantly at the brunet who, with a small sigh, responded "We're dating, yes. Are you okay with that?"

The little boy watched him for a brief moment before stating "I'm not sure yet."

Iruka smiled sadly, he wanted to say something but didn't know where to start.

They pulled up to the curb and Iruka pushed the gear into park before shutting the car off he unfastened his seatbelt before turning in his seat to look back at them. "You boys want to come along or should I just leave you here like last time?"

"I wanna come!" Naruto stated raising his hand a moment later he took hold of the other boy's wrist and pulling at it. "C'mon, you come too, Sasuke!"

"-! Dobe!" Sasuke-kun exclaimed at the very real threat of having his arm wrenched out of its socket by an over enthusiastic blonde. He hurried to unbuckle his seatbelt and out of the seat Naruto still attached to his wrist and tugging him along.

Iruka locked the doors before following them at a brisk pace.

They found Itachi-kun standing up front. A blonde, long-haired person stood nearby with their back facing the three males heading their way. They were gesturing wildly and ranting about something in a crude baritone. Itachi-kun seemed to be ignoring them. His gaze was unfocused and fixed somewhere across the road.

"Itachi-oniisan!" Naruto called loudly. The teen jumped violently and looked around quickly spotting the orange and blonde ball of energy barreling right towards him. Naruto came to a halt where his nose came barely four inches away from Itachi-kun's navel. "Can we go? Huh? Huh?"

"Naruto." Iruka called taking him by the shoulder and tugging him a little further away from Itachi-kun. "Sorry we're late." Iruka apologized to the teen.

Itachi stared at him with the deer in the headlight look on his face and answered "It's fine."

"Let's go see how Kaka-sensei's doing!" Naruto stated eagerly tugging at the teen's shirt.

A small smirk played around Itachi-kun's lips he bent slightly at the middle "I like that idea, Naruto-kun." He glanced towards his little brother and did a double-take. "Sasuke, what happened to your face?" The younger brother scowled and looked off somewhere in the vague direction of Iruka's hip.

"He got into a bit of a scuffle with another boy at school." Iruka answered. "We ran a little late because I wanted to patch him up before coming to get you."

"You got into a fight?" Itachi-kun asked Sasuke-kun as if the boy had proclaimed a sudden desire to become a dinosaur. Sasuke-kun's only response was an angry glare directed at his shoes.

"Way to go Uchibi! Did you get him good?" Cheered the blonde teenager who had, until this moment, remained silent. Itachi-kun directed a glare in his direction which sent a chill down Iruka's spine but was easily ignored by the blonde. Apparently Sasuke-kun disliked the nickname 'Uchibi' since he sent a nearly identical glare at the blonde which was again, ignored. "Hey, Itachi, who's this runt?"

Naruto growled and screamed "DON'T CALL ME RUNT!"

Iruka sighed as he restrained his son from attacking Itachi-kun's friend. "He's loud, hn." One blue, heavily made up eye landed on Iruka (The other was concealed by so much hair that Iruka doubted the teen could see through it) "Who's the old guy?"

'Old Guy?' Iruka felt a vein pulsing in his temple as he became the last of the four people now glaring at the rude teen. "My name... Is Iruka Umino... You may call me Sensei." He gritted out. "This is my son Naruto."

"Your son? He doesn't look like he's your son, hm." The teen who Iruka was liking less and less every time he opened his mouth stated. Naruto growled again and tried to storm forward. Iruka again, held him back.

"Well luckily he is. Itachi-kun, are you ready to go?" He stifled the final clause; 'Because I sure as hell am.'

Itachi-kun nodded and hurriedly made his way away from his friend. Iruka copied his pace.

"I'm sorry about Deidara." Itachi-kun apologized once they were out of earshot his soft voice only just audible over Naruto's angry rants about their new acquaintance.

"No need to apologize. For all I know he's a good friend who just happens to cram his foot in his mouth when he meets new people." Iruka stated trying more to convince himself than Itachi-kun.

An undefined "Hn" made its way out of Itachi-kun's throat and they continued walking.

"Tendou-kun seems very nice, though."

Itachi grunted again vaguely, Iruka wondered what was wrong but let it be since, after all he and Itachi-kun hardly knew one another. The drive over to the hospital was quiet. Iruka sighed after he shifted the car into park.

"We're here to visit Hatake Kakashi-san." Iruka told the tired-looking secretary at the hospital.

With an annoyed sigh she clacked away at the computer for a moment before stating "Your relation to the patient?"

Iruka faltered. "Well I- Um."

"Iruka-ojisan is our uncle, Naruto-chan is our cousin and Sasuke and I are his sons."

"Your name?"

"Uchiha Itachi."

She raised an eyebrow doubtfully, her sharp, dark eyes flitting between the light skin and dark hair of the brothers, the dark skin and brown hair of the 'uncle' and the nauseatingly bright blonde hair of the 'cousin'. Letting out yet another sigh she directed her attention to the monitor in front of her and clacked away. "Fine. He's in room 22 go straight towards the back take a left. It'll be the third room on your right, if you get lost please hesitate to ask for assistance."

"Thank you very much." Iruka nodded following her directions to the same room he had visited Kakashi in before. With a quick couple raps on the door he entered, the three boys trailing behind him. Kakashi was asleep again but at least they had taken most of the tubes out except for the IV.

Stepping forward Iruka made to wake him up a plan forming in his head to not startle the masked man so badly this time. "Kakashi-san." he called softly before reaching for the man's kneecap. Kakashi woke with a violent jerk but it hardly compared to the panicked spasm he'd woken with earlier that day. The silver-haired man's eye landed on Iruka and went back to its usual cool and collected expression. "Hello, Iruka." He greeted. His eye caught on something behind the pony-tailed man and widened with what almost looked like anxiety.

"Itachi... Sasuke..."

The former hurried to the side of his bed his low voice asking "How are you feeling?" in the closest thing to fretfulness that the teen was capable of sounding.

"Fine, a little slow due to the painkillers, but still fine." Kakashi answered. "What happened, Sasuke?" He asked looking at his younger ward.

Sasuke didn't answer he merely stared at his shoes again his expression caught between a grimace and a frown. "Sasuke-kun..." Iruka urged quietly.

"Why should I tell you?" Sasuke-kun huffed, not looking at Kakashi. Iruka felt a small pang as he heard the words. He glanced at Kakashi, whose eye became a shut off version of what would be his usual bored expression.

Iruka glanced between them took an indignant Naruto by the shoulder and shepherded him to the door. "Come on, Naruto." Iruka commanded softly.

"Wha? We just got here!" Naruto complained.

"We're just going to step out for a moment, alright?" Iruka stated. He exchanged a last look with Kakashi who -from what he could tell- seemed grateful for his show of tact.

"But why?" Naruto whined as Iruka shut the door behind them and tugged him by the hand down the hallway. The brunet waited until they'd walked to a bend in the hallway a good few feet from Kakashi's door.

"Sasuke-kun and Kakashi-san have something to discuss and we shouldn't be intruding." Iruka stated.

"Then why did Itachi get to stay?" Naruto asked, a little frown on his face.

"He's part of their family."

"But I thought we were their family too!" Naruto was becoming increasingly frustrated and his evidently building anger made that fact obvious.

Iruka's already frayed nerves bristled at the tone with which Naruto spoke to him. "We've only known them a month Naruto, it takes longer than that." He tried to explain patiently but there was an underlying edge to his words that he couldn't rid himself of.

"How long does it take?"

"I don't know Naruto, it depends on the people." Iruka answered exasperatedly.

"Why are you getting mad?" Naruto asked. "Are you mad at me? What did I do?" Naruto sounded more angry as words spilled from his mouth.

"I'm not mad, Naruto." Iruka stated slumping against the wall and sliding down to take a seat on the floor. "I'm not angry... Or frustrated... Okay, maybe a little frustrated" He sighed. "Come here." He stated patting the section of floor beside him. Naruto obeyed and when he settled himself beside his former sensei the man swung a lazy arm around his shoulders. Iruka leaned his head back until it landed with a soft thud against the wall behind him. "I'm stressed so I'm sorry if it seemed like I was angry with you, I'm not."

Naruto looked over at his former sensei with wide, tentative blue eyes. "You're not?"

Iruka opened eyes he hadn't realized he had shut and looked down at his adoptive son. "Nah." He said with a quirk of his lips. He ruffled the boy's hair with the hand of the arm swung around the much smaller male's shoulders. "By the way, what were you thinking so hard about the other day? You hardly spoke for hours. I was beginning to get a little worried that I'd somehow taken the wrong kid home." Iruka joked.

"There's only one Naruto Uzumaki!" Naruto grinned "And I was trying to come up with a way to cheer Sasuke-bastard up." Iruka was just about to nag the boy about his language when he was interrupted by a loud slightly familiar voice.

"Pardon Me Most Youthful Civilian! Would You Happen To Know Where I May Find The Front Desk?!" Iruka looked up to find a man he had only met once before but would probably never in his lifetime be able to forget. "Umino-Sensei?! Ah, You Are Here To See Kakashi, No Doubt!" Maito-san laughed triumphantly. "Perhaps You Have Lost Your Way In The Labyrinthine Halls Of This Fine Establishment As Well! Well Fear No More As I Have Searched Every Room On The Way Here-" 'I'm pretty sure that's breaking some confidentiality law.' Iruka thought briefly as Maito-san kept speaking. "-And There Is Only Half A Dozen More That He Could Be In!"

"Uh, Maito-san-"

"Please Call Me Gai, Sensei!"

"Gai-san then, Kakashi-san's speaking with his sons. I'm sure they'll want a bit of privacy before we come in." Iruka stated absently stroking Naruto's hair.

Gai-san looked down at the two males sat on the floor with a strange expression. Iruka was just about to ask why when Gai-san opened his mouth again. He squatted on Iruka's other side and Iruka noticed that the man was no longer in that green spandex abomination he had worn the first and only other time they had met. Instead he wore a hoodie, still green but more of an olive color that blended in well with crowds along with brown cargo pants. His bowl cut seemed a little less shiny. Tevas maybe a decade old were strapped to his feet and his face shifted into a surprisingly sad smile for a split second before stiffening into a ridiculously solemn expression as he stood like a soldier at full attention. "The Familial Love A Parent Feels For Their Child Is Most Certainly Something To Be Cherished And Revered!" He posed so his hand was held out as if reciting poetry from some invisible book. He swung his arms out one to flare out dramatically before pressing against his heart while the other was held out in gesture to Iruka and Naruto. He had tears running down his face as if touched but Iruka wondered...

"Gai-san, had anyone told you before today?" Iruka asked quietly following his hunch.

Gai-san's eyes opened slightly, his face relaxed and his arms slowly fell to his side. He cleared his throat and assumed a dramatic pose again. "My Eternal Rival Often Gives Off The Impression That He Is An Unfriendly Person, Whether This Is Intentional Or No I Regretfully Cannot Say, And So The Word Of His Poor Health Was Slow To Reach The Ears Of Those Few Fortunate Enough To Call Themselves His Friends!" He declared with a flourish of his arms out to his side. However he was facing away from the two others and Iruka wondered briefly if it was because Gai-san didn't trust himself not to show whatever it was that he was feeling on his face.

Iruka looked down and found a dozing Naruto, He'd forgotten about the boy's habit of drifting off after a scalp massage. Gently he positioned the boy against the wall so he wouldn't fall without Iruka's support and stood.

"I'm Sorry Gai-san, Itachi-kun has been so concerned with Kakashi and his brother that he must have forgotten to call." He rested his hand tentatively on Gai-san's shoulder. The bowl-cut man turned his head to look at Iruka his face blank. "He seems to be recovering quickly so I'm sure he'll be back to work soon." Iruka smiled.

"You're dating him right, Sensei?" Gai-san asked, his tone surprisingly normal.

"W-we never discussed before if whether or not we were going to make it public yet-" Iruka stammered with a blush before he caught sight of Gai-san's expression. He relaxed and replied. "Yeah, we're dating." He answered plainly.

Gai san nodded "Don't let him push you away, he does that sometimes." Gai-san stated. "Even with friendships."

"He's tried that already."

"What did you do?" Gai-san asked. Iruka frowned slightly but when he caught sight of the man's concerned expression he answered.

"I told him that I'd stay as long as I knew that he wanted me."

Gai-san frowned, looking Iruka in the eyes until clarity filled his expression and he nodded. "You seem almost as stubborn as he is. He's lucky to have found you."

Iruka flushed and stammered "Th-Thanks..."

Gai-san's normal smile soon tripled in size to reveal each glittering tooth he had in his head. 'His dentist must adore him' Iruka thought absently as the other man struck what seemed to be his favorite pose with a hand on his hip and the other raised to direct a thumbs up at the pony-tailed man. "Not At All, Worthy And Most Youthful Partner Of My Eternal Rival!"

"Um..." Iruka trailed off, again thrown by the other man's unpredictable switches of personalities. There was the soft sound of a door opening and Iruka looked over his shoulder to see if Itachi-kun, Sasuke-kun and Kakashi were ready for them to come back. Itachi-kun had poked his head out and Iruka gave him a half-hearted little smile.

Itachi-kun nodded and pulled the door the rest of the way open.

Iruka shook Naruto gently awake again. The grumpy little blonde staggered upright and rubbed his cheek. Iruka smirked down at him and walked over to Kakashi's room. He looked around and caught sight of Gai-san again. "I'll tell him that you're here."

Gai-san gave him that megawatt smile and stated. "Do Not Trouble Yourself, Fair Lover Of My Oh So Hip And Cool Rival! " Iruka choked on his spit while turning beet red. "-I Merely Was Visiting To Ensure That He Is Indeed On The Mend And So I Shall Make My Immediate Departure! I Shall Also Be Late For My Class I Shall Challenge Myself To Make It There In Half The Time Walking On My Hands!" Iruka and Naruto both watched on in confusion and awe as they watched the grown man indeed sprint away on his hands.

After Iruka had recovered he nudged Naruto's shoulder with his elbow and once he had gotten the little blonde's attention he tilted his head in the direction of Kakashi's room in a silent gesture that they should get going.

With Kakashi: [A Few Minutes Ago...]

"What happened to your face, Sasuke?" Kakashi asked, cutting through the thick silence that had permeated the room after the door clicked shut behind Iruka.

Sasuke glared off to the side, his mouth staying stubbornly shut.

"Sasuke..." Itachi sounded. "If you don't tell him, I will."

Sasuke took a moment to look away from the curtained windows and stared Kakashi in the eye, defiance in every line of his body. "I got into a fight at school." He stated his jaw set.

Kakashi rose an eyebrow but otherwise not showing his surprise "Why?"

"Because."

"That's not an answer, Sasu-"

"Well are you giving us any answers?" Sasuke snarled. Kakashi kept what little was exposed of his face blank. Which only served to anger Sasuke more. "We would have been better off if you'd just left me and Itachi at the hospital back then." Sasuke admitted quietly. Darkly staring Kakashi down.

Kakashi didn't allow himself to show how much that statement stung him.

But apparently, Itachi knew "Sasuke!" The teenager hissed, his usually stoic face betraying a small amount of shock. What made the sting even worse though was how small the degree of surprise was. Had Sasuke shared this thought with his older brother? Did they both think this?

The masked man couldn't think of anything to say in response to that except "You probably would have been if I had." He had to admit, at least to himself, that a part of his statement was to gauge their reactions. Itachi twitched ever so slightly and he landed a hard stare on Kakashi that the man pretended not to notice.

Sasuke's nostrils flared and those large black eyes became even larger burning with hot rage and hurt. "Then why!?" He asked. Despite the boy's low tone his words were spoken with such an urgency that they might as well have been shouted.

Kakashi had many answers. Although he hadn't known exactly what was going through his mind when he had made the decision to take the boys in. Although he had come up with at least a dozen big reasons that he had kept them even after suitable foster parents would have been found.

"Do we mean anything to you?" Sasuke demanded. Kakashi felt two pairs of nearly identical obsidian colored eyes boring into him.

Kakashi gripped the sheets bunched around his waist. He wanted to tell them exactly how much they meant to him but his tongue suddenly felt too large for his overly dry mouth. The boys remained silently hopeful while Kakashi tried to get a grip on what he wanted- needed to say.

"You—" Kakashi croaked finally. "I took you in on a whim." Both boys looked like he'd hit them (in their own, muted way) "I was tired of the life I had and since you had nowhere to go otherwise I thought that it would benefit everyone if I just took you in for a few months until the state got your case all sorted out." He continued. His voice was rough he glanced contemplatively at the cup of water Iruka had left on the nightstand a few hours ago before quickly deciding against it. "But after a few weeks handing you two off to some strangers just didn't seem right and was becoming less and less appealing. You are-"He stammered, again unable to get the words past his throat. "I became attached..." He stated "Do you understand?" He asked.

Both of the boys stared at him. Sasuke, his wide eyes betraying a hint of hope. Itachi's eyes betrayed nothing but his folded arms and slightly slouched posture showing that he was bracing himself for an impact of some sort.

"You two mean everything to me." Kakashi stated. Sasuke and Itachi stared, as if frozen. The room suddenly became too quiet. Sasuke stepped forward slowly, almost the same way one approached an injured wild animal. Kakashi noticed for the first time that the boy's cowlick seemed a little messier than usual, like someone had pulled it out of place.

"And what about Iruka-sensei?" Sasuke asked stopping near the side of the bed just out of arm's reach, which really bothered Kakashi due partially to the urge to fix the kid's hair. "Does he..." Sasuke trailed off and glared at his feet apparently too embarrassed to finish his sentence.

"Iruka-sensei and I may be together for a while." Kakashi started. "I like him a lot and it makes me very happy to be with him. But..." The masked man pushed himself up from the bed a little more and leaned over just enough to make the gurney sway and creak a little worryingly, enough that Itachi took a few nervous steps forward. Kakashi reassured him with a small smile. "You two will always be the ones I care the most about in this world."

Sasuke lowered his head. Kakashi watched him for a brief moment before deciding he was safe and placed a hand on top of the boy's hair, finally able to muss that cowlick back into place with a gentle ruffle and for once, Sasuke let him without complaint. After a moment of silence, Kakashi reached further, taking the boy's chin in his hand and nudging his head up in order to examine the damage. A little wound covered by a bandage on the boy's eyebrow and some bruises still forming around the edge of the socket. Not terrible although Sasuke's fanclub would probably have a collective heart attack to see his face in such a state. "So why did you get into a fight, Sasuke? It couldn't have been with Naruto, right?"

Sasuke shook his head slightly dislodging Kakashi's hand. "It was with Oku."

"Oku?"

"A sixth year."

"And why?"

"He said something stupid."

"Oh, so you started it."

"Yeah."

"And what did he say?"

"That he wished his parents were gone."

Kakashi paused for a moment. "You've heard that before from other kids and you've never hit them."

Sasuke didn't respond. Kakashi didn't need him to. "So what was the damage on Oku?"

"Broken nose." Sasuke grunted reluctantly.

"Good for you." Kakashi stated a little impressed.

"Kakashi." Itachi scolded quietly.

"Right, so, you're grounded. But since you don't go out much besides karate and school anyways, it's sort of pointless." Kakashi leaned back and rested once again on his pillows with his fingers laced over his chest. "How about..." Kakashi hummed in thought. "I take your book rights away? No new books no reading when you're home aside from school books, be a good boy and just play video games when you get bored for a week."

Itachi rolled his eyes and Kakashi smirked. Sasuke looked only mildly annoyed.

"And of course, I want you to apologize to Oku." He stated. Sasuke's annoyance grew and the boy almost immediately opened his mouth to argue when Itachi's hand landed on his shoulder. "You should also thank Iruka-sensei. He was the one who patched you up, right?"

"Hn." Sasuke nodded.

"I'll have to thank him as well." Kakashi stated absently going over a mental list of nice restaurants in Konoha to take Iruka out to dinner to.

"Mind letting Iruka-san and Naruto-kun back in?" Kakashi asked Itachi. The teenager nodded and went to the door. Sasuke remained by the bedside.

"Kaka-sensei!" Naruto-kun bellowed tearing through the tense atmosphere in the room and jumping up on the masked man's bed. "Hey, Hey, You're still teaching me how ta be a ninja right?!" Naruto-kun asked his big blue eyes wide and hopeful.

Kakashi whose surprised eyes were nearly as wide as Naruto-kun's hopeful ones as he stared at the face barely an inch from his own. "Um, of course, Naruto-kun." Kakashi stated.

"So you have to get better as soon as you can so you can train me!" Naruto demanded.

With a soft chuckle that warmed parts of Kakashi that the masked man didn't even know that were cold Iruka grunted softly as he lifted Naruto by the underarms off of Kakashi's bed. "You jumping on him isn't going to make him get better any sooner." Iruka set him on the floor beside the bed. Naruto-kun began griping about something loudly but honestly, Kakashi couldn't pay much attention to him. Iruka had rested his hands on the guardrails on the side of the bed. The one resting closest to Kakashi's twitched slightly and the masked man wondered briefly if Iruka wanted to hold his hand. Kakashi moved his arm slightly so that his fingertips brushed over Iruka's knuckles softly. Iruka's gaze flitted down to their hands then quickly back up to meet his eyes. Vaguely Kakashi registered Itachi begin to speak to the young blonde. Kakashi linked his index finger around Iruka's pinky. The brunet smiled down at him. It was soft, secret, tired, worried, tender and comforting all at once. There was a downwards twitch of the full lips and the hand not attached to Kakashi's rose to wipe the corner of Iruka's suddenly moist-looking eye with a soft sniffle and with a nearly silent bob of the adam's apple a parody of his smile returned. The moment went unnoticed by the three younger males nearby two of which were listening to the third rant about something. Kakashi frowned slightly at the change in expression and took Iruka's hand fully into his own.

"It's alright." Iruka breathed. "I'm fine." Kakashi gave the man a doubtful look but Iruka simply shook his head. "I bumped into Gai-san while Naruto and I were waiting outside. Interesting guy."

"That's a bit of an understatement." Kakashi smirked.

Iruka smiled back. "You must be bored here. Should I go to the gift shop* and see if they have anything you can read?" He asked.

Kakashi's eyes lit up as they looked up at Iruka. "Bless you..." He sighed. Iruka laughed causing a pause in the boy's conversation. "I'll be back in a few minutes. You behave, Naruto." He stated turning to head out the door.

That night was slightly more cheerful than the last. After driving by Kakashi's house to pick up a change of clothes for the boys and for Kakashi himself, (Itachi insisted on getting Kakashi's clothes for him) as well as feeding the dogs they returned to Iruka's home. Kakashi permitted them to skip this night's karate lesson since, after all they would have only gotten there halfway through the lesson. Naruto was strangely fine with it and Iruka wondered if Kakashi had said something to him.

He was working over the stove making pasta. His eyes burned and ached and his mind silently recalled the amount of hours until he could finally collapse on his bed. Well, more accurately, his couch. Itachi was still taking the bed. He rubbed his eye and continued cooking. Itachi entered the small kitchen and Iruka looked up at him. "Do you need anything?" He asked. The teenager looked around and noticed the basil leaves resting on the cutting board untouched.

He stepped over and picked up the knife and going to work chopping the basil into small pieces with movements suggesting little practice.

Iruka smiled at him. "In a hurry to have your dinner?" he asked good-naturedly. Itachi looked over at him his expression slightly surprised. The teen's mouth opened to say he simply wanted to help but Iruka's grateful smile cut him off. "Thank you."

With Itachi

He and Iruka-sensei finished preparing dinner with minimal conversation. There was no animosity and hardly any awkwardness in the moments they spent working side by side, just silent understanding. Itachi wondered how Iruka-sensei knew not to show signs of pity or sympathy if he had any. It could have been that the grade school teacher knew what he himself would prefer but with the silent and almost dutiful way Iruka-sensei accepted things such as caring both physically and emotionally for two extra people for an indefinite amount of time, while he himself must have been worried about the man he was dating, made Itachi doubt that it was just a good sense of empathy.

He looked over at the pony-tailed man now robotically eating the pasta he had just made. Sasuke was pushing it around his plate, taking a few small bites here and there and looked as deep in thought as Itachi felt. Naruto-kun was chattering on but had somehow managed to have already inhaled half of his plate. Iruka-sensei looked as if he were trying to listen to his adoptive son and seem interested in what he was saying. Every once in a while something would flash across his face; a moment of genuine endearment or amusement at something Naruto-kun had said but soon Iruka's eyes would turn back to the dullness that came with exhaustion and anxiety

Itachi felt ashamed. Iruka-sensei had and still seemed to want to pursue a relationship with Kakashi. However the man seemed also much less informed than Itachi himself. It wasn't fair to Iruka-sensei and it wasn't fair to Naruto-kun, who had to deal with a distracted, tired, and anxious parent as well as- Itachi looked over to his younger brother- a crabby, exhausted best friend. For the first time he felt a sense of anger towards Kakashi not irritation nor frustration but genuine anger. Certainly the masked man couldn't help that his eye had failed. But there were many other things that he neglected to do to ensure that he stayed reasonably healthy and that he didn't go stumbling through life and hurting all of the people 'important' to him with his carelessness. He had heard Kakashi's apology and had accepted it without really taking toll of his losses beforehand.

"Itachi-kun!" Urgent hands shook him gently. Itachi's eyes shot open and he stood so suddenly that the chair he had been seated in just a moment ago was pushed back with an ugly groan. "Itachi-kun, are you alright?" Iruka-sensei asked his eyes shining with concern but, perhaps worried that he had triggered something unpleasant, held his hands at his side and gave Itachi some space. Itachi's gaze flickered around the room and felt a renewed pang of guilt as he met the shocked and frightened stares of the two younger boys.

"May I be excused?" Itachi managed softly before leaving without listening for a reply.

Locking the bathroom door Itachi turned and sank down to sit on the edge of the tub wishing dearly that he were at home and in the privacy of his own room. His breathing still came fast and hard and his heart was racing in his chest. He took a moment to collect himself and calm down. A familiar chime and vibration from his pocket notified him to a text. With a soft sigh Itachi slid it from his pocket and punched in the security code fully prepared to text back with a 'Fuck off, Deidara.'

But it wasn't Deidara.

'How are you holding up?'

Itachi felt the corner of his mouth twitch upwards at Yahiko-san's concern. He punched out a reply. 'Can I call you?'

Maybe half a minute after the phone rang.

"Hello." Itachi greeted.

"Hey, tell me what's up?" Yahiko-san's tinny voice asked through the device.

Itachi took a moment to find his words. "I um... I... Could you tell me about your day a little first?"

"Whatever you want." Yahiko-san's tender tone was evident and the sound of it made Itachi's heart flutter ever so slightly. "I went to class which was pretty much the same as always. There's a new guy at work. He doesn't talk much but I think he's alright. He looked ready to scratch Anko's eyes out when she mentioned that he looked like a girl." He chuckled. "Which would have been a horrible waste of his very nice manicure."

Itachi listened a sense of calm overcoming him as the redhead described his day. "Does he look like a girl?" Itachi asked putting slight emphasis on the first word.

"He kind of does. Long hair, died pink in parts, a bit scary when he's mad." Yahiko-san stated. "I swear he wears lip gloss or something."

Itachi felt a small pang "You've paid that much attention?" He asked before he was able to stop himself and cringed at the barely concealed envy in his voice.

Yahiko-san's shrug was obvious in his tone. "I worked with him all day. Hard not to notice what his face looks like."

"I suppose so."

"So when do I get to see you again?"

"You want to see me?"

"Of course I do."

"I... I don't know if that's a good idea." Itachi stated closing his eyes anxiety and a new wave of depression overwhelmed him.

"Why?" Yahiko-san's voice had an edge of concern to it but remained collected for the most part.

Itachi pinched the bridge of his nose. "I... Kakashi's in the hospital and Sasuke... Sasuke needs me. I can't... I can't be with you...not like... I'm not in a good place in my life and-"

"I understand." Yahiko-san stated his voice soft and soothing. Itachi tried to staunch the pang of bitter disappointment at Yahiko-san's fast acceptance. "I understand but I don't want to leave you alone again. We'll still be friends right?"

Regret clenched in his throat. "Yes... Yes of course." He choked out.

"Itachi-kun?" Yahiko-san asked after a long moment.

"Yeah?" Itachi asked trying to collect himself again.

"... Nah, it's nothing."

"...Please tell me." Itachi pleaded softly, curling himself around the phone pressed to his ear and feeling more than a little pathetic.

Yahiko didn't reply right away. He seemed to be debating his next words. "I already know it but I'm not sure how to say it."

"Please just try your best." Itachi tried hard and failed to keep the pleading from his voice.

"Hah... Okay." Yahiko sighed as if bracing himself. "I'm gonna wait."

"What?"

"For you. I'm waiting."

"I-I don't understand."

"We've got the chemistry, Babe." -Itachi's heart fluttered- "We have the potential to make each other very happy guys and I'm not ignoring that fact just because the situation's crappy... So I'm waiting."

Itachi stared at the bathroom tile with something akin to dubiousness. "But you could find someone else in an instant."

"Maybe, but I want a gorgeous, sexy, smart, sad guy I can't resist trying to make smile." Yahiko-san's voice was tinted with a grin. "Who I know for a fact has it almost as bad for me as I do for him."

Itachi's face was burning. "Once Kakashi gets let out of the hospital and Sasuke and I go back home do you want to come over?" He managed.

"Looking forward to it already."

"Alright..."

"Yeah."

"So, see you soon?"

"Yeah. Definitely. See ya."

Neither hung up, waiting for the dial tone to sound. It didn't feel like this was the way they were supposed to end this conversation.

"Yahiko-san?" Itachi nearly whispered.

"Yeah?"

"Nothing. I just wanted..."

Yahiko waited for a moment. "What do you want?"

"I don't know."

"I think you want a lot of things but don't know how to ask." There was the hint of a smile in his voice and Itachi felt an overwhelming desire to see that face. "You never ask for what you want." Yahiko stated "So you've never gotten good at it." The smile in the man's voice grew. "But can I tell you something?" Itachi didn't respond. He waited with baited breath like a child near the climax of some fascinating heroes tale.

"I can read minds." Yahiko whispered through the phone.

Itachi snorted feeling one small part disappointed and foolish but mostly amused.

"You don't believe me?" Yahiko chuckled. "Well I guess I'll have to prove myself to you then."

"How would you prove a statement like that?" Itachi asked.

"Think about something you want. Form it into a sentence and focus on it." Yahiko's tone was playful.

Itachi humored him and did so.

"You wish I was there." Yahiko said a moment later.

"That was a guess." Itachi said his heart tightening.

"Was I right?"

"Isn't that cheating?"

"Nah," Yahiko said ungracefully and Itachi pictured the redhead waving his hand lazily, perhaps flopping against a toned jean-clad thigh as he sprawled across the sofa. "I was just hoping that you'd stroke my ego a bit." Itachi felt a small amount of heat in his face as he let out a chuckle. There was a short pause and then "Nagato tells me I'm full of crap too but I swear it's true. Konan just kinda scoffs at me now but when we were kids she..." The next half an hour turned to cheerful stories of Yahiko's childhood friends and their antics as the three neighborhood troublemakers. Itachi and he finally said their goodbyes, the former in a notably better mood than he was before Yahiko-san had called.

With Iruka

He had heard the sounds of a phone conversation in the bathroom earlier and had decided it was better not to interrupt. He had gone back to the boys, doing his best to calm both of them as best as he could and only came around again once he had discovered Itachi-kun had been locked in the bathroom for nearly 40 minutes. He raised his hand to knock but the sound of the lock turning and the doorknob squeaking he had taken a step back instead. He was met with the sight of the teen looking a little brighter than he had last seen him. "Itachi-kun?" Iruka asked.

"I'm alright, Sensei."

Iruka set a hand on the teenager's shoulder as he made to pass. Dark eyes turned to him questioningly. Iruka smiled softly. "I'm glad to hear you're doing better."

Itachi-kun held his gaze for a long moment and then nodded. Iruka gave his shoulder a gentle squeeze before releasing him and heading to his room. It was high time he change out of his work clothing. With a relieved sigh he tossed the shirt onto a wicker chair sitting in the corner of his bedroom. He shed the under shirt and the pants leaving them on the floor. He wasn't usually so sloppy but today had been exhausting and so he felt this one moment of laziness was acceptable.

He groaned as he stretched his hands towards the ceiling wearing nothing. His bared skin erupted with goosebumps as the just slightly too cool air hit it but he reveled in the slight discomfort and the freedom it represented. With his clothes, for this one moment, he shed his responsibilities and worries. For a few seconds he was a simple creature, hardly different than any other of his species. Two legs, two eyes, two arms, one heart and brain. For a moment he could pretend that this world was simple.

But that savored moment passed and he changed into pajama bottoms and an overlarge t-shirt. He stepped out into the living room where the three boys all lounged. Itachi-kun was now texting someone. Naruto was murdering some video-game bad guys and Sasuke-kun was reading a book lying open on his lap. Iruka recognized it as one of his old history textbooks from when he was an under-grad.

Iruka smiled and knelt by the end of the couch where the younger Uchiha boy sat. "Are you interested in that kind of stuff?" Iruka asked.

Sasuke-kun jumped a little and looked over his shoulder at the grade-school teacher. Slowly he nodded.

"That's college-level material. Although some of the information might be a bit outdated." Sasuke-kun looked back at the page although by the lack of motion of his eyes Iruka could tell the boy wasn't reading anymore. "Would you like to borrow a few?" Sasuke-kun's head turned to look at Iruka. A small spark of interest mingled with the shock shining in those dark eyes. With a soft chuckle he stood "Whenever you like go ahead and grab a couple more that seem interesting you can keep them as long as you like."

Sasuke-kun watched him with wide eyes but nodded nonetheless. The boy set the book aside and hurried over to the bookshelf. Iruka felt eyes on him and he turned to look over at Itachi-kun who stared at him. "Yes?" he asked.

"Sasuke's grounded." Itachi-kun stated.

"Alright," Iruka sounded looking over at the teen. "What's are the ramifications?"

"Kakashi said no reading, just video games and playing outside."

Iruka snorted. "I would think you were joking but I can actually picture him saying that." The grade-school teacher chuckled standing. Iruka stepped around the end of the couch and sank into the soft, lumpy cushions with a tired groan. With a soft smile and half-lidded eyes he pressed a finger to his his lips looking over in the teenager's direction. "I won't say anything if you won't."

There was an upwards twitch of the ends of Itachi-kun's lips and the teen turned back to his phone when the message tone pinged for his attention.

On Wednesday, Iruka had taken yet another sick day. However by no means did that mean he could simply relax. He had slept soundly and besides a sore neck from sleeping on the couch he was feeling content running over the schedule in his mind:

Take boys to school.

Call hospital about Kakashi's release.

Bring boys back here to pack up their stuff.

Pick up Kakashi.

Take them home.

Dinner.

Grading.

Bed.

He sighed softly and a moment later he heard the shuffling of bare feet against the floor. He turned to look at the young boy now taking a seat at the kitchen table. "Good morning Sasuke-kun. You look like you've slept well." He chirped.

Sasuke-kun directed a drowsy stare at him. With a soft laugh Iruka set down a plate of food in front of him along with a glass of milk. "Is Kakashi coming home today?"

Iruka turned to meet the sleepy gaze. "We'll see." He smiled. "It's very likely."

Sasuke-kun seemed satisfied with that answer and turned to his food nibbling on the corner of the toast. Itachi-kun came in maybe five minutes later and Iruka greeted him the same way setting down the plate and glass of milk before the teenager. Itachi-kun nodded his thanks and began to eat.

Iruka told them about the schedule today and they nodded their understanding. Overall it was a peaceful morning. He nodded hello to Mrs. Watanabe she greeted him with a cheerful "Good morning!" and they both chatted a little before she ambled back inside her apartment. He followed suit stepping through his own front door. He packed up the Uchiha boy's bags.

Before loading the luggage into his car he called the hospital confirming that yes, Kakashi could go home at any time after ten that day. He thanked the receptionist and hung up. With a new spring in his step he heaved the bags down stairs and loaded them into the back of his car.

He eyed the clock slightly disappointed that he would not be able to leave for the hospital for another hour or so. He settled on keeping himself busy. Cleaning the livingroom and moving the sheets, blanket and pillow off of the couch and cramming them (pillow excluded) into the washing machine.

He had gotten through the kitchen and his own bedroom before it was finally time to go. He arrived at the hospital at quarter after ten. He stepped up to the reception desk. They quickly handed him the paperwork as they -presumably- prepared Kakashi for leaving.

He filled out the forms as best as he could and then after a short look through and a few corrections demanded by the secretary he was on his way down the sterile white and grey halls of the hospital to Kakashi's room. Iruka's steps slowed as he approached the door a smile growing on his lips with each one. He stepped inside and grinned as he spotted Kakashi standing and facing away from him on the other side of the deserted gurney. The oppressive florescent lights had been turned off allowing the natural sunlight to pour through the window. The machines had been switched off and tucked away and the IV bag taken away. Kakashi stared down at the view below still -from what little Iruka could see- wearing the surgical mask.

Kakashi, either sensing the eyes on him or hearing Iruka's entry turned to face him. He took a moment to look Iruka over then smiled with an upturn to that lone, dark eye. Iruka stepped to his side. "I'm here to bust you out." He whispered pseudo-conspiratorially.

The crinkles at the corner of Kakashi's exposed eye deepened as soft laughter bubbled from somewhere deep in the masked man's chest. The dark eye was fixed on Iruka's face. "And not a moment too soon." With a small smile up at the man Iruka reached forward as Kakashi's arms wrapped themselves around the brunet's waist. Iruka let out a breathy chuckle allowing the man to pull him in close. "To be honest, I'm more than a little stir-crazy."

"So I take it you're not in the mood to simply go home and get some rest?"

"Not in the slightest."

"Good."

Iruka closed his eyes and raised a hand, finding and tracing the line of the mask with his fingertips. Kakashi's hand caught his and gently pushed it away.

With Kakashi.

Thick black lashes. Soft full lips. 'Does he know he's gorgeous?' Kakashi wondered as he pulled down his mask. He took hold of Iruka's jaw and leaned in applying gentle pressure to those lips. Iruka let out a soft little sigh through his nose and pressed closer his lips own moving, appealing for more.

Kakashi deepened the kiss. It started off slow but was quickly gaining momentum. Kakashi's fingers played with the hem of Iruka's shirt, lifting it slightly to caress the skin beneath. Iruka groaned as Kakashi broke the kiss to trail smaller, shorter ones down the side of his neck, nibbling and sucking all the way. Iruka's hands had strayed to Kakashi's back fingers dragging, claw-like down the masked man's back in a way that made him hiss softly and shiver in aroused delight. The silver-haired man's hand traveled south just about to close over the firm dome that was Iruka's left- There was a rap at the door. Quick and insistent. Kakashi and Iruka had barely enough time to part before the nurse stepped inside. She looked briefly in between the two of them before deciding to ignore their disheveled appearances and slightly dazed expressions. "Hatake-san, here is a form for you to fill out. Will you be needing something to wear for the trip home?"

"Uh- No. Thank you. I brought some clothes for him." Iruka stated. Kakashi looked at him curiously.

With Iruka

Within half an hour they were finally leaving. Kakashi now wore a button-down gunmetal grey shirt and dark jeans, his feet adorned with black flip-flops. He certainly wasn't at his most fashionable but anything was better than the papery fabric of the hospital gown and pants. Iruka had linked hands with Kakashi halfway through the front lobby. Kakashi happily solidified the hold by lacing his fingers through Iruka's.

"So do you want to go back to your place?" Iruka asked.

"Maybe later, we have what? Four hours to kill?" Kakashi stated directing his pseudo-bored gaze to Iruka's very un-boring profile.

The brunet raised his eyebrows and looked over at Kakashi "What do you want to do then?"

"It's a nice day. Want to go to the park?"

"Which one?"

"Whichever's closest to your apartment."

Iruka shot him a questioning glance but when Kakashi offered no explanation shrugged it off. He reached into his pocket for his keys as they approached the car. Kakashi gently took his wrist and turned the brunet around, pressing Iruka against the side of the sensei's car. Before Iruka could say much of anything Kakashi had swooped down and captured his lips once again in a heated but slow kiss. With a soft groan that nearly sounded like a sigh Iruka relaxed. Kakashi's hands slid up to hold Iruka's wrists in place. 'Ha, as if I'm going anywhere.' Iruka laughed internally before succumbing to the haze the kiss brought on.

When their lips finally parted after what felt like much too short a time Iruka took a moment to breathe out a soft laugh. "What was that for?" His raised eyebrow somewhat ruined by the fact that he had kept his eyes closed

"Me." Kakashi answered shortly. The effect of his bored looking eye somewhat ruined by the heat and obvious excitement in it. But then again the man couldn't see his face anyways. Kakashi felt a small bit of annoyance at that. However, not enough to tell the brunet to open those eyes... yet.

Iruka laughed but was startled half way through by a hand dipping down and briefly squeezing his ass. "That was for me too." Kakashi stated, his hand retracting back upwards. Iruka laughed louder this time taking a moment to kiss the masked man on his cheek before turning towards his car door once facing away fully directed his attention down to the bundle of keys still in his hand and unlocking the door.

"We're in public." He said without any real anger. Just slight embarrassment and giddiness.

"Well, I thought you'd prefer it here rather than in the park surrounded by old people, stressed out parents and impressionable children." Kakashi's voice was becoming slightly more didstant as he rounded the car his mask back to it's usual place.

Iruka looked back at him with a grin. "So you prefer to molest my mouth in hospital parking lots?"

"I'd like to molest you period. The location doesn't matter much." Kakashi shrugged as if he were talking about the weather. Iruka looked at him in wide-eyed surprise, his cheeks turned pink and finally he let out a loud laugh. Kakashi snorted too after a moment even though he had been completely serious.

With Kakashi

Kakashi stared out the window as they drove through the town. Iruka was silently driving the hint of a smile on those lips. 'It really would make more sense to just let him see my face.' Kakashi mused. He wanted to see the look in those coffee-colored eyes after he had just kissed their owner. Also after everything the teacher had done for both him and the boys he really should trust the man. So what had held him back? Constantly hiding everything he was from people for his entire life certainly came into it yes, but then again he had shown Sasuke and Itachi. 'And they only had to know you a year and a half before you just decided on not bothering anymore.' He let out a barely audible sigh. It wasn't a terribly big deal. It was more out of habit than anything else. So then why? The silver-haired man was shaken from his thoughts by the sound of his name being called softly. "Hn?" He asked turning his attention to the other man.

"Are you alright?" Iruka asked after a moment, seemingly unable to find the words for a brief few seconds before settling on that phrase.

"I'm fine." Kakashi stated. After another few seconds he elaborated. "Just looking forward to being home."

"I really don't mind taking you there if that's where you want to go."

"Maa. I want to run around a bit." Kakashi shrugged. "And wouldn't you be a little bored just hanging out at my place until we went to pick up the kids?"

Iruka seemed slightly taken aback and Kakashi realized just how domestic the last clause of that sentence sounded. The teacher was the first to collect his thoughts and put a few into words. "Well..." Iruka began. Kakashi's gaze flitted over to darker man's face. "I want to spend time with you. Location and what we're doing doesn't really matter and frankly with the past couple days I could do with a bit of boredom."

Kakashi didn't have anything to say to that. Just a warm glow in the center of his chest and a small guilty squirm in the pit of his stomach both sensations clashed in an awkward fashion across his covered face. He slid his hand over to rest on Iruka's mid-thigh with a gentle squeeze of the firm flesh he leaned back in his seat. Iruka took a moment to look away from the road, shot Kakashi a smile and then looked back ahead. Tan, callused fingers wove in between long pale ones while it's mirror image remained on the wheel.

"Why are you so affectionate all of the sudden?" Iruka asked after a moment.

"I've always been like this." Kakashi lied not really caring if Iruka believed him.

"You said yourself the you weren't used to human contact." A slim dark eyebrow rose.

"Well maybe I've been craving it a little for the past couple days?" Kakashi replied without any bite.

"I can understand that." Iruka nodded.

Kakashi took maybe a half a minute to unstick his inhibitions from his throat to allow what he wanted to say "I've been wanting to touch you like this for a little while now. I suppose the trip put some things into perspective for me." He attempted to play off the seriousness of the statement with a lazy shrug and a bored expression.

The car was then filled with a tense sort of quiet and Kakashi wondered briefly if he had said the wrong thing. Iruka lifted the hand from his thigh entwining his fingers with Kakashi's before turning it and and pressing his lips firmly to the other man's rough knuckles for a few moments. Iruka looked over at him before placing the hand back on his thigh. He smiled.

"Now how about we go molest one another in front of old people, stressed out parents and impressionable children?" Iruka stated.

Kakashi snorted and placed his hand back on the other man's thigh a little higher this time purring "It would be my pleasure." With a smirk.

The weather was indecisive, clouds hung overhead thin enough to let plenty of light through even as they drifted across the sun's visage. Occasionally a gap would open between the tufts allowing a few tepid rays to reach the outstretched limbs of the many trees that littered Konohagakure's one and only Senju Park. It was the largest out of the many plots of land in the village limits where humans had attempted to preserve the peaceful and pleasant sides of nature. At its center stood a tree much larger than the rest, its leaves rustling merrily at the prospect of the rain the cool moist air promised for that night. Beneath this tree were a set of benches few of which were occupied.

"Do you want to sit down?" Iruka stepped towards one of them looking over his shoulder at the masked man who had -until this point- kept pace at his side.

Kakashi shook his head "Too much energy, I'll stand. I don't mind if you want to sit down for a little while though." Iruka smiled back at him before turning and walking in the direction of the tree. Kakashi felt a tug somewhere in the back of his head. He wondered, for a moment if he was getting another one of his headaches before he recognized the sensation He looked around and found the eyes that were drilling into the side of his head. He immediately went on high alert. His eyes flickering over to Iruka who still, in the meantime, was unharmed and oblivious.

Kakashi called to Iruka. "Hey! I'm going to get coffee." He pointed off in the vague direction of a food cart they had passed earlier "Want anything?"

Iruka turned "What? Oh- Yeah, I'll have a cup of those glazed pistachios if they have any!" Iruka called back.

Kakashi nodded and hurried off in the direction. Of course he didn't let on that he was hurrying at all, at least not to someone... someone unlike him. He made his way over to the man standing in the shadow of yet another tree thankfully plenty ways out of Iruka's line of sight. "What are you doing here?" He asked now having collected himself he stood with his usual slouch and spoke with his usual impassive tone but absolutely oozing anxiety and killing intent.

"Calm down, Senpai." The man stated. "I'm just delivering a message."

Kakashi shifted his stance ever so slightly. The man rose his empty hands in front of him. "Not any kind of message that includes knives." Kakashi stared at him appraisingly for a moment before finally beginning to relax.

"What is it then, Tenzou?"

"He wants you to come back 'home'"

"No."

Tenzou sighed irritably. "He thought you'd say that."

"And he was right. Have a good day."

Senpai." Tenzou stated his large eyes serious. "He has an assignment for you."

"Just one?" Kakashi scoffed dubiously.

"He says that if you pull it off that he... he could fix Obito-senpai's eye."

Kakashi stared at him. The wind whispered through the leaves in that too quiet moment. The masked man was frozen his heart thudded dully but persistently in his chest. 'How does he know?' echoed repeatedly in his head his thoughts all racing in circles until finally they zeroed in... The hospital. The ambulance had been called. Danzo would have been an idiot not to keep tabs on his former employee's whereabouts and actions. It was obvious really. The fact that Kakashi hadn't been expecting this since the first day after he had woken up in the hospital showed how truly dull he had gotten.

"In three days he'll text you an address where you can meet him and tell him your decision. If you do not arrive then he'll take it as a no and that will be that. No threats no consequences. Just mutual benefits." Kakashi frowned.

Tenzou's face was set in a stern expression as if he disapproved of something. Kakashi nodded wordlessly. Tenzou's eyes flickered to the tree which obscured Iruka from sight. Kakashi immediately tensed again. Finally the stern expression shifted and the black eyes looked at him like another human being. "He looks nice, Senpai. I'm so sorry." He shook his head turning away, walking across the lawn and out of sight.

Kakashi watched the area where the man's back had disappeared for a while. He heard footsteps. Tensing he turned on his heel quickly much to a different brunet's surprise. "Kakashi?" Iruka asked his dark eyes wide and a little worried. The masked man forced himself to relax as much as possible "Hey." He greeted, both quite lamely and belatedly.

"Are you alright?" A warm tan hand rose to touch Kakashi's forehead. "Should I take you home?"

Kakashi closed his eyes focusing as much of his attention as possible on the hand touching him. "Yeah... Yeah." He murmured. He opened his eyes again after a moment landing on the concerned face of a person who was starting to become pretty damn important in his life. It made his chest feel hollow and his mind buzz with panic when he realized just how closely the two worlds he had been trying so hard to keep separate had come to touching. He was worried for Iruka and Naruto and of course for Sasuke and Itachi but some horridly selfish part of him had a fear that rivaled his worry over one of them being hurt irreparably by some element of his past: What if they discovered him for what he was?

The mere thought sent his heart racing with panic. They would see what kind of man he really was. What kind of monster he was. Opening the throats of children's mothers and fathers with hardly a bat of an eye. What would any three of the boys say if they knew how many children he had orphaned willingly as he simply followed orders. How many punches would Iruka throw for Kakashi's deceit and how many for the children he had slaughtered as well.

"Kakashi, Kakashi!" A clear voice called him back out from inside his skull. Two hands were cupping his masked face and now wide frantic eyes stared into his. Kakashi didn't think. He ignored Iruka's questions. His motions seemed slowed as if under water, folding the brunet in his arms and holding him, clinging to him. His two hands came to rest near one another as they placed themselves between Iruka's shoulder blades. He inhaled deeply as he buried his nose where shoulder met neck taking in the scent of this man who he cared for so much. Iruka's hands were pressed flat between their chests but Kakashi didn't mind the small amount of distance it added between them. It meant that the man was completely wrapped within his arms. He wallowed in the turmoil Tenzou's message had left his mind to reel in as he tried to find some type of stability in the man wrapped in his arms. Thankfully after a few moments Iruka relaxed and Kakashi could feel lips brush across his hairline.

*Hospital Gift shop: The university hospital in my town has a gift shop. Seems kind of messed up when you think about it. Fucking buzzards.

I've become pretty foulmouthed in the past few weeks. But don't worry! I'm not angry :)

Oh my Gawb! Okay, so three people quit suddenly at my job since I work on campus and most of my coworkers are students almost everybody is on vacation meaning we were already extremely understaffed for being the third busiest fucking store in the nation. The entire thing's been a complete and total clusterfuck all thanks to the deadbeats that decided to run off without giving their two week's notice and so consequentially I've been working my ass off. Sorry, rant over. I finally got time to finish this chapter. I'm so sorry it's so late. Please review, my loves! It really does increase my motivation to continue with writing this!