Summary: After a mission, Iruka decides to relax at a cozy little village. Imagine his surprise when meets up and dines with a former student.
Disclaimer: I don't own a thing.
At the Table
It was quite a shock really.
Umino Iruka pleasantly bustled down the streets of a quaint sea-side village with his three team-mates, a happy spring in his steps. The mission they had just completed was a scroll delivery to a feudal lord in the city next over. The four ninjas, who looked like sweaty tourists, were eager to spend the rest of their mission time relaxing and decided to extend their stay at the village instead of returning home to Konoha.
"Ebisu really won't know what'll hit em'... I would have warned him, if he didn't take a shot at my teaching methods." Iruka explained with a snort as his fellow shinobis erupted into laughter. The scarred nose man then described to them what Konohamaru and his classmates had planned for the special jounin who was the substitute for his class.
Scratching the scar on his nose the brown skinned chuunin thought of his class and how they were fairing with Ebisu as their substitute. 'Hope they give him hell.' Umino thought and opened his mouth to suggest they stop for lunch when he felt a clench in his stomach. Something in him was telling him to look to the right; much past the chattering villagers, squealing children and rickety market stands. With a sniff the chuunin shifted his brown eyes, he was not stupid enough to abruptly turn his head and alert his team-mates.
And then Iruka saw him. 'It can't be.' his mind raced as he continued to mindlessly walk forward with the group of ninjas. His eyes still watched the misplaced figure amongst the cheerful villagers on the other side of the street. It had to be the child-- young man now it seemed, like Naruto, his former student had grown over the years from the time he left Konoha. 'Sa--Sasuke!' the man screamed mentally.
The brunette bit his tongue, afraid he spoke out loud when the dark haired youth stopped in tracks. The brown skinned man slowed down from the rest of his group as the Uchiha heir shifted his head, sensing a presence and stared at the teacher. The chuunin saw the youth shift awkwardly and flash a kunai at him.
Umino got the message loud and clear as the sun's rays bounced off the weapon, like a lighthouse to boats adrift a sea, it acted as a very clear signal. The man nodded as Sasuke seemed to relax and prep to make his departure. But then Iruka narrowed his eyes, catching the fugitive's attention. The scarred nose man laughed at the right time when one of his team-mates made a joke, but he paid it no mind as he motioned his head towards a small and busy looking cafe up ahead.
The dark haired teenager eyed the shop, his face as indifferent as ever, but he nodded and with a glare to his former academy teacher, vanished from sight without the slightest hint of chakra.
Iruka turned to his companions, ignoring the uneasy feeling fermenting in his stomach. "I saw a few souvenirs I need to buy, so I'll meet up with you guys later at the inn." The brunette interrupted as he took out his wallet and began counting his money. Koboyashi, a fellow chuunin, straight laced and was the hardest to convince into taking their little break opened his mouth to voice his concerns but Iruka spoke first. "After I get some ramen that is-- I'll make sure to buy you guys som--."
Umino did not have to wait long for the tell-tale groans and rolled eyes; Iruka's comrades were familiar with his favourite food and his insistence to eat ramen than any other meal. They allowed his departure with small waves and in moments the teacher was lost in the crowd. His heart drummed much faster than he would prefer.
:p:
The brown skinned man was currently huddled into a corner booth in the clean little cafe. As he expected there were quite a few people to get mixed up with but not enough to be deafening, so that he could speak without yelling. The chuunin waved away the waitress who prepped to give him his order and settled in his seat, tapping his fingers on the table in nervousness.
He waited and waited, tugging on the neck of his shirt due to the stifling heat. He began to think that the Sharingan wielder had ignored his silent invitation and swiftly skipped town. Iruka sighed at the thought and childishly stuck a wooden chopstick into his mouth; he was up to four when he heard it.
"Who the hell do you think you are?" a voice breathed into the teacher's ear. The scarred nose man shivered, the puff of air was like a cold wind in fall as he looked to the side but saw no one standing next to him. He turned back to look across the table and was a bit surprised to see the withered face of an old man he did not recognize, except for his eyes. They were hard and cold, like finely polished onyx.
Sasuke wrinkled his nose, at the sight of the chuunin with four chopsticks sticking out of his mouth. The traitor coughed and scowled at the man for his immaturity. Honestly, Iruka was a chuunin, he should know better.
The academy teacher tilted his head and took the utensils from his mouth. "Oh, sorry." The man apologized, not sorry at all as he eyed Sasuke's transformation. Umino's lip twitched in amusement. "It's just that I was a little bored when-- snerk." the man snorted as he covered his mouth trying to stifle his chuckles. 'He looks ridiculous.' Iruka thought as he finally laughed out loud relishing in Sasuke's annoyance.
The former member of team seven gnarled his dentures together and frowned at his former teacher. "You chattering twit, you're making a scene." the youth hissed as he purposely shifted his shawl, again flashing the kunai that hung at his side.
The scarred nose man looked around the cafe with another snort and noticed the customers and staff alike, sparred him their attention and were pleasantly eating and chatting amongst themselves. "Sasuke, why don't you lose the transformation, you look terrible." the older of the two ninjas admitted. Before Uchiha could reply that he did not care about his appearance, Iruka spoke up again. "Really, you should know better, looking like that you're still leaking a bit of chakra and I don't need my team-mates picking up on it. You should practice some of the basic hand seals again."
The old man guise blinked, his lips pursed in a continuous frown but with a soft sigh, the hunched over figure of an aging senior was replaced with the proud and stubborn frame of an avenging teenager. His handsome features shifting from disapproval to indifference. "Everything must be a lesson with you, doesn't it?" the youth mocked.
The chuunin did not reply but the smile on his face was answer enough. The traitor snorted and opened his mouth to speak but was interrupted when a pretty blonde waitress shuffled up to their booth with a pleasant smile, a smile that grew even larger when she saw Sasuke. "Afternoon is there anything I can get you gentlemen to drink?" she asked with a grin of white teeth as she placed down their menus.
Uchiha scowled at the girl as if she was a very annoying, chattering bug. The happy grin on the waitress' face instantly fell and she hunched her shoulders, a bit sheepish. "Sake." he replied and dismissed her quickly. He then glared at Iruka to challenge his choice of beverage.
The brunette frowned at the youth's rude behaviour but let it go with a shake of the head. He smiled nicely at the girl and was pleased when she smiled back in return. Both ignored the pinched look on the traitor's face. "Water, thank you." Umino said and with a nod the girl was gone. Iruka gave the fugitive a very frank look. "Sake?"
The teenager smirked, a very cocky smirk that twisted his alluring features. "What's the matter sensei, do you think I'm too young?" the youth barked as his smirk became even nastier. "Stop your molly-coddling, it's annoying, I'm not like that little idiot, you know." Sasuke hissed.
The chuunin calmly nodded his head but regretted his actions when it seemed to irk the Sharingan wielder further. "I know you're not Naruto." Iruka replied honestly, boy did he ever know Sasuke was definitely not Naruto. Sasuke was a young man he could never quite connect with despite his attempts. "Besides, compared to the other acts you've committed, drinking sake is quite insignificant." The older of the two males reasoned.
The dark haired youth bristled, clearly wanting to challenge and verbally fight his former teacher. "It is insignificant." he muttered softly and Iruka wondered at the back of his mind if they were still talking about the alcoholic beverage.
"But do you really want sake?" the brunette questioned and didn't pay any mind to the younger ninja's frown. "It's just that even I can't stand sake, makes my eyes water even thinking about the after-taste, personally I'd rather have juice or water." the brown skinned man explained with a huff.
Sasuke merely rolled his eyes and cleared his throat to avoid snapping a very rude comment. However Iruka had seen it, the slightest upturning of the corner of his lips and the light furrow in the youth's brow. Uchiha may not have smiled but he was at least calm and amused. The young man's amusement or what passed for it quickly melted away when the waitress returned with their drinks.
"Here you are." she said, smiling pleasantly at Iruka and then pasted on a very cool grin at Sasuke as she focused her attention on the older man. She placed down the drinks and took out a notepad. "Are you ready to order?"
The chuunin's eyes widened, obviously he was not but quickly scanned the menu for something quick and cheap. He didn't have all day to waste and sooner or later his team-mates would come searching for him. Finding a familiar and dearly loved meal, Iruka opened his mouth to respond.
"Don't, you order ramen." Sasuke warned, already pouring his drink into a small cup.
The academy teacher pouted and searched the menu for something else after hearing soft laugher coming from the waitress. The Konoha traitor sniffed, wanting to tell the girl off but kept his mouth shut as he too searched for a meal. With a nod Iruka pointed somewhere in the middle of the menu. "Ah, I'll have this, this duck dish." the man said.
The young blonde nodded and turned to Sasuke with a sniff and a lift of the nose. Uchiha pointed close to the bottom of the list, his fingers just below a large platter of a sushi. The chuunin bristled, "Ah, that's a bit expensive..." Umino trailed off, hoping the teenager caught his hint.
The pale skinned youth smirked and eyed Iruka somewhat playfully. "So it is. I'll have this instead." Sasuke replied as he pointed to the bottom of the list, a very large and expensive steak meal with the works catching his eye. Iruka ground his teeth together ready to complain but his table mate merely shrugged. "You were the one to invite for lunch." He defended as a smirk curled onto his young face.
The scarred nose man swallowed his rant. He agreed and the waitress walked off but not without sending another smile to the teacher. The former member of team seven snorted and took a quick sip of his sake.
The teacher held back his snickers when he saw his former student's lip curl in disgust as he glared at his drink and carefully placed it down. Iruka shook his head and picked up his glass of water with a bright wedge of lemon on the rim. "Do you want my water instead?" the man offered with a teasing smile.
Sasuke glared at him, his eyes smouldering as his features warped into something wicked and quickly shut Iruka up. The older of the two ninjas coughed and took a sip from his glass, a bead of water slipped from the crack of his mouth and dripped onto his chin.
The Sharingan wielder raised a brow as Iruka nearly purred in content at slating his thirst on a hot day. Uchiha threaded his fingers together as he watched the academy teacher, his lean frame tingling. He felt anxious and impatient. And for the second time since meeting up with Iruka, the first just after the blonde fluff smiled at his former teacher, he contemplated if his body was ready for sex. Sasuke mulled over the information and bit his tongue from saying something stupid as Iruka sweetly licked his lips. 'This man... is annoying.'
A dull silence engulfed the two ninjas and Umino became self-conscious and flushed under the intense stare Sasuke was sending in his direction. Gathering his thoughts Iruka mouthed his ideas of what was plaguing the young man. "Sasuke," the man began gaining the fugitive's attention, "Staring is rude, if you wanted to ask me about Naruto you could have said something." the teacher smiled misreading the youth completely.
The former member of team seven wrinkled his nose in distaste. "I really could care less of what that squawking idiot is up to." Sasuke hissed and Iruka ignored his lie and took another guess.
"Oh-ho, then it's Sakura-chan." the teacher grinned using Naruto's call for the girl of his affections, "that your thinking about." Iruka smiled taking another sip from his glass. The chuunin's only response from his companion was a heated glare which ended when Sasuke took another swig of his sake. The brunette sighed and tilted his head to look out the window. "They're still waiting for you, you know."
The teenager shrugged and smirked at his former teacher. "Hmph, I didn't ask them to." the pale skinned youth replied the smirk slipping from his lips.
Iruka cringed as if he was cold and traced the pad of his index finger against the rim of his glass. "They're not the only one's waiting though: Naruto, Sakura, your classmates, even the ones who were jealous and intimidated by your skill... wait for your return, and Kakashi-sensei, although he hides it well, he is still quite effected by your departure." Umino explained softly searching for some reaction and all he found was anger.
Sasuke sniffed and arrogantly turned his nose up in the air at the thought of the idiots still waiting for his return. He wanted to voice how stupid and foolish they were. They did not know him or understand him at all but he said something else entirely. "And you I-ru-ka-sensei, what about you?" the youth scowled, mocking the chuunin's title.
The academy teacher smiled sadly as he scratched the scar on his nose, irritating the skin till it looked even more flushed. "There was a time, close to when you left where I also waited for your return but no longer." the chuunin muttered softly, noting that the indifference on the youth's face looked forced. "I don't want you to come home Sasuke, unlike your team-mates and teacher I'm a bit more realistic, Konoha will not open their arms in forgiveness if you return. I'm surprised the others haven't realized that if you come back to Konoha it's either execution or imprisonment or who-knows-what that will await you. I don't want that to be at the end of your path." Iruka exclaimed honestly.
Sasuke willed his mind to ignore his former teacher's word, the desperation in his voice. The youth clenched his fists and controlled his body from becoming even more... excited with the teacher. "Another fool." the youth breathed, referring to the chuunin and himself.
Umino continued, "I love Konoha and will do all that I can to defend my home from any threat but I suppose we all have our moments of selfishness. I want you to continue on your journey, even though you won't be able to return." the scarred nosed man smiled at Sasuke and the teenager cursed him for it. "I won't insult you by asking if you're absolutely sure of the path you're taking and just get to the point... when this little get-together is over I will alert my team-mates of your presence." Iruka said seriously his eyes narrowing and the crafty ninja inside of him stirred.
Uchiha gave him a wicked smile, "I think I can hold my own against a mouthy chuunin and his lowly team-mates." the youth snubbed earning a snort of laughter from Iruka which made him puff his chest in a show of cockiness.
The academy teacher eyed the waitress coming with their dishes. He turned to Sasuke was another soft smile. "Let's forget about that for now and enjoy a meal together. I have a feeling you haven't sat around a table with someone like this in a long time." Iruka reasoned as a steaming plate of meat and rice was placed in front of him.
Sasuke swallowed but wisely said nothing. He eyed the large lunchbox meal placed in front of him and with a sigh he took a new pair of chopsticks and dug in.
And with that first bite he enjoyed the silence of a quiet meal with a companion at the table.
Author's Rant: Ehhh, so much for indulging in the Xiaolin Showdown fandom for a while. I just needed to get this Naruto story out of the way before I do some other projects(don't worry I will come crawling back to the Naruto fandom I'm already thinking of another KisaIru fic, and this time both of them will be all grown up and also Interlude chpt.3). I hope all of you enjoyed my Sasuke and Iruka story. Tried to make Sasuke in character as much as possible but it was awkward because he isn't the most emotional character but ah well. This story really stuck with me and wouldn't let go until I wrote it. Personally if Sasuke ever does return to Konoha I really see nothing bright in his future, could be just me though, what do you guys think? Thanks for reading my story and rant.