Title: Thank You - a White Day fic
Pairing: KakaIru
Summary: Sometimes words carry with them more meaning than what anyone realizes.
Disclaimer: Kishimoto owns Naruto and my god if I got paid for writing I'd probably stay home and do nothing but.

A/N: For those who don't know, in Japan White Day (march 14th) is the day where the one who received a Valentine's Day gift reciprocates, usually the girl gives a boy a gift on V-day and the boy gives a girl a gift on White day. Since for v-day I did Kakashi giving Iruka a gift I flipped it for White Day, because I like equal relationships.

Dedicated to Lenap

Folding the paper, Iruka snipped the paper away in an arc until it slowly formed a heart. "There!" It was slightly elongated and the edges were rough but he smiled anyway and tacked it down on the paper over the paper doily his teacher had given them. Picking up a dark red crayon, he scribbled iHappy Valentine's Day!/i across the heart and drew a dolphin in the corner.

It didn't matter to him that everyone else had finished and were exchanging cards, or that none of them had thought to make one for him. And, he refused to let it bother him that he'd left one for each of them on their desk and they hadn't said thank you. One girl had even made a face and thrown it away. But it was okay, because he was busy making this one and it had to be perfect.

Iruka pasted a little googly eye on the dolphin, then picked up the blue construction paper and began cutting tiny jagged bits away from it. He swept them to the side and picked up his glue. Dribbling a little below the dolphin and around the edge of the heart he picked up the paper scraps and carefully pressed them into the glue before sprinkling glitter over it and blowing on it.

Sparkly bits flew away with his breath and he watched them dance in the air then let his eyes focus on the various ways they glinted light back at him. He tilted his head to one side and then the other and waited for his picture to dry.

Thinking about the tiny bits of foil paper was easier than thinking about other things. Like why nobody noticed him, or why none of his classmates had thought of him when they thought of the holiday. But most of all it meant he didn't have to think about the fact that he'd made it for somebody who was no longer around to receive the gift.

Iruka hesitated at the edge of the trees, the bright red envelope in his hand. He could hear the sobs and see the shake of the boys shoulders. Seeing an member of ANBU standing in front of the stone wasn't unusual... seeing them crying however was. It wasn't the tears but the height and too thin frame of a body still growing that gave away that he was looking at boy probably not much older than himself.

"Go away." The words were choked out and sounded something more akin to a plea than irritation.

Despite the request and the fact that it was the polite thing to do, Iruka moved toward the stone instead of away. He looked from the stone to the boy and wondered who he'd lost, if maybe like himself the young ANBU had lost ieveryone./i

The idea seemed more concrete the longer he stared at the white mask. i'He lost everyone too, but he's doing everything he can for those like me who were left behind.'/i

Smiling, Iruka held out his hand, the red paper drawing the attention of the ANBU who looked at it and then him.

"For me?" he asked, before slowly reaching out to take the card.

Iruka nodded, tightening his pony tail nervously with both hands, his smile widening into a toothy grin. "Happy Valentine's Day, ANBU-san!"

The boy regarded him for a moment, then opened the card. "Iruka-chan?" he whispered softly, his fingers running over the blue waves and the dolphin.

"Mmhm!" Iruka blushed, still grinning from ear to ear.

"Thank you."

"Happy White Day, Iru-chan," Kakashi whispered, wrapping his arms around Iruka, tugging him closer and burying his face against the man's neck.

Iruka studied the box for a moment, smiling. "Happy White Day, 'kashi-kun." It was the first White Day gift he'd received since his parents died and the only one he'd ever been given by somebody other than his parents. He tugged at the blue ribbon, watching it unravel, almost reluctant to destroy the picture it presented. Setting it aside, he lifted the lid and pushed the tissue paper aside.

"You..." he twisted in his lover's arms so he could the man's face. "It was you?"

Kakashi cheeks flushed a very dark red and he looked away, embarrassed. Then, still blushing, he looked back up, meeting Iruka's gaze and nodded. "That was the day I fell in love with you."

The brown eyes widened in surprise for a moment and Iruka blushed, his fingers reaching out to touch the cool porcelain mask, tracing one of the bright red lines. More than anything he wanted to tell Kakashi he'd thought of him a lot since that day, even though he hadn't known it was him. Kakashi had been his hidden strength every time he'd considered giving up. So in a way he'd loved him then too.

But the words seemed to lodge in his throat so instead he set the box down on the coffee table, wiped his cheeks with the back of his hand, and slid his arms around Kakashi. "Thank you," he said finally, nearly choking on the words that to anyone else would have seemed inadequate and out of place but to the two men curled up on the couch in the apartment they shared... were perfect.