Something New


The sun poked through the clouds for the first time in weeks. Iruka watched the children, his students, walk outside and take it all in like they had been deprived for most of their lives. It was slightly hurtful. He wasn’t that bad of a teacher, was he?

It smelled like spring. The sticky air clung to his skin and breath and hair and clothes leaving behind its earthy, wet scent. It was not unpleasant. He rather liked spring. It was a time of new beginnings.

Iruka was hesitant to leave his classroom that day given that he had quite a few papers to grade. It was unprofessional to give up on his paperwork to go home a little earlier than usual. Still, he thought of the nice spring air and how much he would like a quick run and maybe a hot bowl of ramen before bed. If he stayed and graded papers, it might be dark by the time he got to go home and his favorite ramen place would be closed. He was torn.

Being a professional was, as Shikamaru would say, a ‘drag’. Iruka begrudgingly sat down at his desk and began looking over the papers.

It was a few hours before he finally graded the last one. The kids had done exceptional on their first test of the New Year. He was rather proud of them and perhaps, though he would never admit it, himself for teaching them so well. Iruka gathered up his things, a smile on his face, and swept out the door.

It wasn’t dark yet, only twilight. The first shadows of darkness were creeping up on buildings and the bright orange sun was sliding below the horizon, giving off a scary ‘end of the world’ look to the village. His stomach rumbled at the thought of hot, steaming ramen and he rushed to the vendor, breathing in the taste of spring.

The vendor was just about to close when Iruka showed up, breathless and slightly sweaty. He made a quick order and watched as the man boxed it and handed it over. He paid him and turned to go home. It was hot and painful in his hands. Still, he could smell it and barely cared that his tan skin was turning red under the liquidating heat of the soup.

Kakashi was still on his mission. Iruka wondered how much the blonde ninja, known as Naruto, was bugging his sensei. It wasn’t hard to annoy Kakashi but still. Naruto was a handful and a nuisance at times. A pang went off inside Iruka at the thought of Naruto. He missed the boy very much. With Naruto gone all the time, Iruka was feeling extremely…lonely? Yes, lonely fit perfectly. Konohomaru was a good kid and a fair substitution for Naruto in terms of practical jokes and whining. Naruto shared something with Iruka that no one else did, though, and it was terribly lonely not to have anyone to bond with.

He’d thought to ask Asuma to hang out with him, even allowing Kurenai to tag along but it was to no avail. Those two were in such a deep, caring relationship that it was stupid to even try and shove yourself between them. It was utterly hopeless to get word in.

Kakashi was his only hope as of late but seeing as Kakashi was gone that particular evening, Iruka was left alone again. He was suddenly standing in front of his house and unlocking the door. It was strange how easily a person could get lost in thought.

Iruka shut his door and turned on the light. The wafting smell of ramen permeated the air and Iruka went straight to the kitchen to pry open the box. He ate quickly and then showered, getting into bed with a clean feeling about him. Before he went to sleep though, Iruka stepped over to his bedroom window and opened it wide. The smell of spring was floating into his small room in seconds and he felt better at once. When his wet hair hit the pillows, he was asleep faster than ever in his life.


He woke up to the sound of birds which was kind of annoying so early in the morning. It was nice sometimes though and he was glad to learn the weather hadn’t change drastically over night. It was still the same clean smell of spring and flowers in the air that propelled him to the window to look around. Rubbing his messy hair sleepily and gazing blearily out into the morning sun, he was startled to see a silver-haired ninja blocking his view.

Kakashi’s face lit up in a smile at Iruka’s surprised expression. “Oh, good morning, Iruka-sensei!” He said it with such surprise in his own voice that it was easy to interpret that it was entirely fake. Kakashi knew too well whose house and window he was standing on.

“Why are you here, Kakashi-sensei? It’s rather early for a visit, don’t you think?” Iruka, recovering from his initial shock, leaned on the windowsill and waited for an answer. At least he wasn’t going to be lonely today.

“Yes, well, I thought I should stop by seeing as how I didn’t inform you that I was leaving for a mission before we left. I know you like to say goodbye to Naruto before he goes on missions but it was a sort of emergency, you understand.” Iruka nodded. Kakashi was apologizing, which was rare.

“Is Naruto alright?” Iruka asked.

“Yes. He charged headfirst into combat as always and didn’t plan ahead, which was careless but…he’s alright, yes. I’m sorry if we worried you, Iruka.” Kakashi smiled behind his mask and put a long, gloved hand on the windowsill. “Iruka-sensei, I was wondering if you would mind,” Kakashi was suddenly too close; their noses were touching, “me staying here for breakfast? My house is a mess and I’m quite sure all my groceries have expired by now.”

Iruka moved from the window for Kakashi to enter and rummaged under his sheets for a shirt. “It won’t bother me to have an extra body in the house. I won’t be staying long, however. It’s nice outside and I would like a bit of fresh air. You’re welcome to use my shower if you like.”

Kakashi was covered in grime and dirt and his silver hair was tousled into knots. The ninja tilted his head and gave a great smile. “That’s very kind of you Iruka. Thank you.” And he disappeared through the hall.

With a sigh Iruka pulled on a shirt and some dark blue pants. He yanked his hair into the usual ponytail and tied his headband across his forehead. He paced into the kitchen and pulled out a skillet. Cooking wasn’t his specialty but ordering out for breakfast seemed kind of lazy. There were eggs, which seemed all right for breakfast. Kind of American, but all right. And so he began to cook.

Kakashi stripped and put his clothes in a pile. Stepping into the shower was heaven for his tightened muscles and bruises. He had a lot of them, shining black on his pale skin. It was an ugly thing to behold. There were multiple lacerations about his ankles and chest but that was to be expected. The battle had gotten pretty heated. Too bad Iruka hadn’t asked whether he was all right. It would have been nice to complain to a friend. All ninjas are guarded, though. None of them really trust each other. It was a shame because Kakashi really liked Iruka. Friends or not, Iruka was a good guy. Someone worthy of trust.

He stepped out after a good twenty minutes, the smell of eggs frying wafted over him as he opened the door. The kimono he had borrowed was all white and thin. It was as if he was at a bathhouse. In fact, the kimono probably was from a bathhouse. Rubbing his silver hair with a towel hanging around his neck, Kakashi stepped out. Iruka had finished cooking and sat drinking his coffee, waiting for Kakashi to come out.

“You didn’t need to wait on me, Iruka. I’m the one intruding after all.” Iruka snapped to attention.

“It’s no trouble at all, Sensei. I told you I don’t mind an extra body in the house. It’s kind of nice, actually.” He gestured for the silver-haired ninja to sit and began to eat. It was a silent meal but not awkward. Kakashi really didn’t have anything to talk about and Iruka was too busy eating to think of anything. He didn’t have to teach that day which was good. He could go shopping and maybe fix his roof. He was sure it was leaking in the bathroom.

When they were both finished, Iruka sipped his coffee while Kakashi began to doze softly in his chair.

“Look at us, acting like a bunch of old men!” laughed Iruka. “You asleep in the chair and me drinking coffee. We should be doing something! Well, not you, of course. You should get some sleep after a long mission like that.”

Kakashi laughed with him. “No, I waste too much time sleeping. I may be older than you, Iruka, but I don’t require daily naps just yet. Hmmm…perhaps we could go somewhere together. You wished to go outside, didn’t you?” Iruka sat up at the idea of going somewhere with a friend. He nodded.

“I’m not sure where we could go, though. It’s Saturday. The village will be crowded with children.” That was not appealing at all. Iruka loved children but even Buddha needs a day off.

“We go on a picnic. I don’t know. I need a nap, apparently, so why not in the sun? You could bring a book or something and we can act like old men outside, sound good?”

“Yes.”

“Well, then, it’s a date,” and Kakashi held out a pale hand. Iruka shook it.
They hadn’t really planned to do anything and that was what made it all the more relaxing. Iruka didn’t need to watch after screaming, fighting, biting kids and Kakashi didn’t need to save screaming, fighting, and potentially kissing (He was sure that something was going on between Naruto and Sasuke) kids.

Kakashi put his head in a gloved hand and leaned against a tree, dozing in a matter of seconds. The hill he had picked overlooked the village and they had a very nice view of the cloudless sky that day. There were many trees, though, and Iruka didn’t like the zero visibility behind him. He trudged up the hill, his eyelids burning under the harsh glare of the sun. He felt very tired in the sunlight and scooted closer to his friend under the tree. Kakashi jerked awake when their shoulders touched.

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to wake you up,” Iruka apologized sheepishly. He withdrew an apple from his pack and bit into the crunchy flesh. The sound was sharp and drew Kakashi’s attention again.

“Hmmm…you are a lot like Naruto, Sensei. You and he both eat quite a bit during the day.” Iruka smiled at his comment and took another bite.

“Yeah, I’ve always eaten a lot. If I didn’t I’d probably look like you, all gangly and pale. You need some sun, Sensei. Those kids must be driving you crazy.” Kakashi’s eyebrow pulled up.

“You think I look ill?” Iruka choked on his bit of apple for a minute. He hadn’t meant it as an insult. Of course, there was quite a comparison between Kakashi and himself. Kakashi was pale and thin with long legs and arms and short, spiny, light-colored hair. Iruka was basically his opposite with dark, long, straight hair and tan skin. He wasn’t fat but he was slightly more boxy and short. The only thing they had in common in looks was there many scars: Iruka’s line across his nose and Kakashi’s marred eye.

“I’m sorry,” he said, flushing. “I didn’t mean to insult you, Sensei. That was thoughtless of me.”

To his surprise, Kakashi laughed. “You are adorable, Sensei. Yes, I’m certain I look quite ill sometimes. I’m not a fan of the sun and I don’t eat much. If I were as tan as you, it would look strange on me, I’m sure.”

“I don’t believe anything would look strange on you, Kakashi. You are quite attractive. Speaking of which, I heard you found a young woman.” Iruka hadn’t liked the news that his friend would be taken by some self-absorbed woman all the time but he’d dealt with it. It wasn’t like Kakashi belonged to him or anything. They were friends. It would be weird if Iruka was jealous. Really weird.

Kakashi snorted. “One night stand. I’m not much of a stay-forever lover unless we’re really close. She was a pretty girl,” he said kind of distantly as if reliving that night. “What about you, Sensei? Have you found anyone yet? You’re a kind of sensitive guy, aren’t you?”

Being called ‘sensitive’ wasn’t exactly a compliment to a ninja or a man but Iruka ignored it, his ears going red. “I don’t look anymore. They always say ‘if you stop looking it’ll happen when you least expect it’ or something.” The ninja shrugged. “I haven’t really been paying much attention to my sex life. I’m too busy with the kids.”

Kakashi was quiet for a while and when he spoke it was with a kind of revere, as if he believed anyone who could shut their sex life in a drawer for a bunch of bratty kids was considered a saint. “That’s very selfless of you.”

“Thank you, Kakashi.” Iruka sipped his coffee. A cool wind whispered through the trees and tousled Iruka’s brown hair. He had considered chopping it off for the summer but had decided against it. Short hair was Kakashi and Asuma’s thing. He didn’t really look good with short hair.

“When was your last time, Sensei?” Iruka practically choked. What the hell kind of question was that to ask someone? He glared for a moment at his friend.

“It was a simple question, Iruka."

Why did Kakashi want to know, was Iruka’s question. He didn’t think Kakashi was the kind of person who set you up with their cousin for a pity fuck. His silver hair waved in the gentle breeze. Kakashi also wasn’t the kind of person who cared about others. This was a strange thing to be experiencing. Why was his heart beating faster than normal? Why was Kakashi suddenly so beautiful, his pale skin in the golden sun so soft-looking? Was this normal to be feeling in the presence of a good friend?

I wonder…if he’s as cold as he looks, Iruka thought to himself.

“Iruka?” Kakashi asked, his voice confused. He tilted his head slightly. “Why are you staring at me?”

Iruka shook his head, a smile playing at the corner of his lips. “I’m sorry, Kakashi. I was caught up in thought.”

“Hmmm…What were you thinking about?” Kakashi asked. Iruka could swear he saw a smile under that dark blue mask. Kakashi knew exactly what he had been thinking and it wasn’t kind to tease.

Refusing to play a fool and lie, Iruka said, “I was thinking about you.” And Iruka turned his back on Kakashi, staring at Konoha.

“Yes…” Kakashi said softly, closing his eyes. “I hoped you might be.”

Crossing his arms, Kakashi fell silent. Iruka didn’t like mind games. Did Kakashi like him as well? What was he saying? That he liked it when Iruka thought about him? No, this was too fast. Iruka didn’t even know if it was attraction or simple love of a friend he was feeling. But then, did a simple friend make your heart beat fast when they were in your presence and ache when they were gone? He didn’t think so. His heart jumped in his throat as Kakashi groaned and scooted closer to Iruka, their backs pressed warmly together.

Kakashi’s gloved hand lay gently on top of his friends. The gloves were warm and fragile, worn from use. Bloodstained as they were, he liked the smooth feeling of it on top of his hand. Iruka turned his hand over and laced his fingers with Kakashi’s. There was nothing cold about them. He didn’t flinch when a warm, cool voice drifted from behind him.

“We all need someone to hold onto.”

They both turned around at the same time. Iruka took a sharp breath when he saw the contemplative, serious look on Kakashi’s unmasked face. His skin was just as white under the cloth and just as beautiful. He looked very much like his father. Kakashi touched Iruka’s face with the tip of his fingers, and then cupped his cheek with a palm. The same hand traveled down to his chin and tilted his head back. Kakashi’s lips were so close that Iruka tasted his cool breath when he spoke.

“I love you…Sensei.”