Note: Oh. My. God. Don't take my word for it, but this thing might actually be picking up. Because I now know how it will end - at least this part.

Warnings: KakaIru-ish-ness. Ignore it if you don't like it, please.

Who was I supposed to go to first? Did I find Jiriya? Would he know most? Or Kakashi, or Tsunade? Go stalk out Itachi? Or perhaps forgetting the entire thing was best, then I could get back to Sai, and training. Or Sasuke. Maybe it didn't matter. Maybe it would be easy enough to go on and pretend there was no way my theory was true. What did it matter, anyway? The Fourth was dead, and even if that other woman were alive and really my mother, she should have found me by now. Everyone knows me, thanks to The Fourth. I'd gone on just fine without my real parents, so why should I worry? I have Iruka, Kakashi, Jiriya, Tsunade, and Sasuke. That family was probably better than two parents I'd never known, one of which, (if they were indeed my real parents,) sealed a life ruining fox in my stomach. Which does not seem okay for a father to do. But what did I know? Iruka was too much like a mom. I didn't know what fathers did - but how many kids had to go through this? Nine? Not normal. Why his own son? And why had no one told me? If it was true, what was the point of keeping it a secret, from me of all people? Was it another one of those stupid things everyone got to know but me - just like the fox? Maybe it would have been solace to know my parents were actually good people, people who led and took care of the village. Why not? Maybe if I could have told people who my father was, at the very least, I wouldn't have been treated like crap my whole life. Not that it matters now. I didn't care, they were most likely dead and I had a real family.

So why was I still having this head-rant!? Gaah! I didn't care. Didn't care. Didn't care. Did. Not. Care.

I picked up the picture, stomped back to Sasuke's room to assure myself, and dropped it on his dresser. Time to find Kakashi and give him the book, and ask for some information - not on my maybe, could be parents.

It was still early to middle afternoon, and unfortunately, no one was out training or on missions since this morning, no one had been let in or out. Now that Tsunade had seen me and believed the story about the fleeing Akatsuki, things were starting to run again. Missions for the day? Cancelled. This was bad because people I knew would be out. High chances they'd run into me. Then again, maybe it would be better if I did see them again. What with everything going on with the Uchiha, Orochimaru, and Sai, I hadn't been focusing on much else. I hadn't gotten a chance to talk to anyone but Gaara and family in Suna, Shikamaru, and of course the adults, since I'd been home. The other teams that graduated with me all had steady ninja careers, and had all moved on to the Chunin rank, some Jounin. It would be good to see them. I could only hope they'd figured out not to mention Sakura by now.

First stop, Kakashi. He didn't have any missions, so he was one of two places. Our old training spot looking at the K.I.A gravestone, or with Iruka. I decided to check the grounds first. He always went there once a day and hung out…Then I remembered I hadn't spoken a word to him after Sakura's…

What would I bring up? How would he react to it? It was an easier subject around Yamato and Sai…I didn't know them like I knew Kakashi. There was something different there, since I'd spent most of my young life around him. He'd been the leader in our Team Seven days, and had grown on all three of us. Maybe I should have thought that for myself, but he was really the only elder around for Sasuke, too. Sakura had to have felt likewise - the bond of Teacher and Student was hard to break in the ninja world. Death was often the only thing to break up the almost sibling like bond.

I saw him sitting. In front of the stone. I'd been right about where he was.

I'd never seen him look so vulnerable before. Kakashi…The big, tough, wise, sensei that everyone in and out of Konoha knew either by name or as the White Fang. Sitting on the ground at a grave. He lounged and rested his head on his hand, propped up by his elbow. I thought about approaching with a smile, a joke, or some sarcasm, hoping to cheer him up, but I wasn't any good at that anymore. Besides the point, I risked hurting him even more in the process - sometimes a joke was the last thing anyone needed.

"Naruto." His voice wasn't even solid. It sounded like he'd been letting out rage or other feelings only moments ago. That short of shaky, subdued voice.

"Yeah." He acknowledged my existence before I could hardly get close. He must have sensed me coming since before I crossed the bridge. "How come your down there?" It didn't seem like there was any point in talking about this morning. Maybe he'd guessed the same as Jiriya had. Besides, we both know what happened. We didn't need reasons.

"Look." His voice relaxed ever so slightly. I flopped down next to him, suddenly aware I was in Kakashi's most valued place on this earth. Sure, we'd all ripped the training grounds to pieces, but no one had never come near this spot besides him. I never thought about it, but I guess I'd been avoiding the gravestone. Or maybe it emitted some aura of serenity we couldn't compete with, and were spiritually forced away from. Didn't know.

As if he'd been working with a Kunai or sharp rock for hours, there was a messy, white, slightly indented message in the stone, somehow worked into a spot where there was no other names, near the bottom. . I shifted just a little at the sight. Killed In Action.

"You're all alone now, aren't you?" Kakashi muttered, shifting backwards just a little to relax more. The atmosphere was incredible. It felt like we were in a carefree world in which nothing mattered, and nothing you thought you had to talk about or say was actually necessary. Whatever came out of your mouth wasn't judged. It was just a relaxed, serene, almost "oh well," kind of place.

"What do you mean, alone?"

"Your teammates are gone, and I'm a worthless teacher."

I took a huge breath in and out. A gust of wind, just like from this morning blew through, and the breeze picked up again. "Sakura is always with me, be she dead or alive." Maybe the wind was her, reassuring me. It had blown just in time to clarify my words. "Sasuke isn't dead, and he's with me too. You aren't a worthless teacher. I'm not all alone. I have Tsunade, Yamato, Sai, Iruka, and you,"-They would always be on my side - "But you're gonna blame things on yourself?"

"Yes."

"Hrngh." I bit my tongue and tried to pretend he hadn't answered.

"If I'd been there, I may have been able to help her, or stop the situation."

"You were in the hospital! You could barely move, let alone protect anyone!" Nope. I couldn't just ignore him. How could he even return to that subject? I thought for sure that both of us had moved on.

"There are so many people I could have - at least tried - to save. Sakura, Sasuke, my old teammates Rin and Obito, my Sensei…You feel like such a failure when you lose all of the people important to you and you could have been doing something to help them."

"Been there." I managed back. I knew who his Sensei was, but I refrained from delving back in to that topic. "Been there, done that. But even though you've failed, you don't stop trying. Sasuke is still alive, and maybe someday he'll be here again. You'll have him, you have me, you'll have all of the new students that'll graduate from the academy and need a teacher, and most of all, you have Iruka. Don't stop, or they - we - won't forgive you."

He didn't respond for awhile. Then his response made it sound like he had ignored most of what I'd said. "You still think there's a chance Sasuke will come back? That you'll ever be able to get him back?" He sounded like I was ridiculous to think so.

"Of course I do. There's only one thing keeping him away." Right?

"How do you know there isn't something besides his brother? You think when Itachi's gone and done, he'll be able to just come back?" Kakashi closed his eyes. We hadn't switched positions at all, just remained sitting on the ground, facing the gravestone. I had been aimlessly reading names to myself, but now I'd straightened up to watch him.

"What are you talking about, 'be able to?' That's the only reason he left."

"If that's what you think."

"It is what I think." I growled. "Do you know something I don't?"

"A great many things."

I was through with his sarcasm. He had to be screwing with me - that was unlike Kakashi, but I knew it for a fact. The only thing keeping Sasuke from being here was Itachi. "Here." I reached into the pouch at my backside and pulled out the stupid, orange, paper-back novel. "It's from Jiriya."

But even the book didn't excite him. He opened his eyes and took it from me, sure, but it wasn't as strong a reaction as I expected. He chuckled some when he flipped it over and saw the cover. "He's not publishing this, is he?"

"Nope, that's the only copy. He said he may not write anymore, so that's a sort of ending present for his biggest fan. Scary stuff, in there." Beyond scary.

"Hmmm."

"Why isn't he going to write anymore?" Maybe he knew.

He straightened up too, and looked at me instead of the rock. "He's probably afraid he won't be around to write them."

Maybe awhile ago, I would have had to clarify what around really meant. Jiriya had avoided telling me. There was no doubt in my mind - he was going on a mission or off to do something that he knew would probably kill him. Or end badly, at the very least.

Not kill him. End badly.

What could that be? My only idea was something involving the Akatsuki, since that seemed to be his specialty. Maybe he'd already told Kakashi what he planned to do, whatever it was. He could have just came to me afterwards with the book as if he'd forgotten…My train of thought ended. Or to trick me into reading it, contrary to what he said! Grr…Why would he say, "don't read it?" He could have just given me the stupid thing and told me to pass it on…

Kakashi kept talking, like he'd expected the prompt I hadn't asked for yet. "He's not going to spy and collect information anymore. He's taking action - the episode from this morning worries him, too." I grimaced inside. I knew he'd being bringing it up eventually, but the easygoing atmosphere was gone, and liked that a lot better. What was I supposed to say if he bombarded me for information?

"What's he doing, exactly?"

"He's going to take out as many members as he can get his hands on - but his main target is their leader." Kakashi made a face, you could tell even though you were only seeing one eye. I thought for just a few seconds…Leader, well sure, every organization that was worth anything had a leader directing them - they'd fall apart without one. But if he went to the leader first, there were still the dangers of the…well, however many were left. Itachi, his partner…Uhn, Kisame. I think. Then who else was there? Sakura killed Sasori, I'd heard about the mission in which Hidan and Kakuzu were killed…So I knew Itachi, Kisame, and Leader for sure. No doubt there were others…

"Wait a second…you mean he's already gone?"

"Just after he left Sasuke's place - gave me some info first." I think Kakashi would have smiled at me if the mood hadn't gotten so tense. So he knew now…Who didn't, anymore? Everyone important to me figured it out thanks to the word of someone else, anyway. I was so bent on lingering on the past that I stayed in his house and cleaned it on a weekly basis…Sue me.

"He didn't say goodbye, nothing!? Grr…" I slowly crawled to my feet, sick of sitting. Surprisingly, I was only a little worried, and just a little angry. I had a feeling Jiriya was tough enough, strong enough, and good enough to come back victorious, alive at the very least. He was a sage...if anything, he'd come back unsuccessful or with wounds or both. He had to be beyond Sasuke, anyway.

Kakashi just got up. "Starting tomorrow, when Yamato and I, or both, don't have missions, we're going to be training you more. If Akatsuki is getting ready to come after you, you'll need to be able to protect yourself. At the very least, stand a chance of survival."

"That's honestly all you've got left to talk about?" I asked, shifting on my feet. That's all Jiriya had to say, too. Obviously, they were powerful, but there weren't that many of them. You couldn't count them out or degrade them based on a disadvantage in numbers - not in the shinobi world, at least - but it wasn't like they were an army.

"That's all you should be worrying about, right now." He ran his hand backwards through his mess of slivery hair. "You should go see Iruka. He's so worried about you, it's insane."

I cringed. Iruka was going to kill me. (Iruka was going to kill me a lot of the time. I'm glad I'm still alive.) Even if Kakashi and Jiriya hadn't prodded too hard for an explanation, Iruka would. He'd torture me into it - I could only imagine. Maybe they knew they wouldn't be able to get out of me without making a problem of it, but Iruka didn't. Then again, maybe he'd take a lie. Kakashi had been on the frontlines and Jiriya had found out from Tsunade, but Iruka was just locked in his house. He could just be worried because he was Iruka…

"Did you tell him anything!?" If Kakashi had seen him today already, no doubt Iruka had asked about what the reason for the "lock in and down" was.

Kakashi chuckled and walked past me. The wind was blowing steadily now, making the semi-sunny day that could have been warm end up cold. It probably wasn't going to quit. "No, I just told him you were alright, and he didn't believe me. Go see him."

I sighed, grumbling out, "Fine, I will." Kakashi continued to walk away, and I knew he was done talking to me. I thought about the people who were most likely my parents, again. I shouldn't have. I'd already made the conclusion - it didn't matter who they were, what they did, what good there could possibly be behind sealing a demon inside me, or if the woman was still alive. I didn't care, I didn't need them. But I asked my next question anyway. Must have just been my desire to know all those years before now. "Did you know my parents?"

He stopped moving, and was a little too slow to answer. Now we were back to back - I hadn't moved and he'd walked beyond me. "Why are you asking now?"

"Just answer." So maybe a child should have cared most about their parents when they were youngest. Why would I be asking that at nearly sixteen after I'd never shown any interest before? Probably because with the way I was raised, I knew I'd never get an answer from anyone, so I didn't ask for fear of something worse than just words.

"…Yes, I knew them. When I was your age."

"What were they like?" I couldn't believe how hesitant my voice was getting. I wasn't afraid to ask, no question, but it sure seemed that way.

He probably smiled behind me. "They were like you." He paused, and continued walking away, like he knew that was the only thing I'd ask. "Loud, happy to a fault, persevering, kind-hearted and stubborn. To only name a few." His voice trailed off as he left.

My eyes fell on all the spots that were precious on the grounds. Kakashi's gravestone in front of me, Sasuke's tree that was out of bloom to my left, and Sakura's bridge that went over the water to my right. I wondered if I'd ever be sitting under that tree, or on that railing, or beside this gravestone, again. Not just by myself, but with the people who were still around to share the spaces with.

Maybe it wasn't so bad to wonder, either. Maybe it was only natural to wonder about your parents. Even if not natural, maybe it just mattered to me, and I was denying it out of hate. I wasn't smart then, I was young - and no one would explain to me why I was the way I was. Maybe my parents would have. And if my Mom was still alive, then…Someday, even if we didn't realize who the other was, maybe I would meet her.

Ten minutes later I was at the academy. The kids were out - probably still getting over the trauma this morning had caused. Iruka would be there, no doubt. He always was. I wondered why he still paid rent on his house. The only things he really did were bathe and sleep there, and it wouldn't be hard to go to a public bath and set up a bed in his classroom…

I didn't have to break in this time, the front door was unlocked. Since I'd just been here days before, I remembered exactly where his room was. No light - it wasn't necessary with the whole side wall being almost entirely window, and since we were in broad daylight. That's how they set up the classrooms…Long, table like desks in rows like a staircase on the back end of the wall, along with storage shelves and such, Iruka's desk and the huge, wall length chalkboard on the other end, with the wall towards me being empty and the one across being the window. It had to do with some philosophy the First Hokage had come up with…To be educated well, children needed sunlight and attention…Windows and small class sizes.

I slipped in through the door and decided to spare him the heart attack by not calling him out. He just noticed me instead, looking up from his endless stack of papers that would never, ever get any smaller. Iruka went Iruka on me. It was expected, and Kakashi had given me fair warning. "There you are!" He shoved the paper he'd been marking aside, and spun his chair around so he was facing me. "I was worried about you! Even more so when the guards outside my house came in to wake me up and tell me not to leave, and later I could hear them talking about the 'Kyubbi container' being missing…"

I shrugged, encouragingly and in a way that hopefully made it seem like it was no big deal, and rubbed the back of my head. "I was out at my old training grounds when they locked the place up, and I guess I'm just a topic of importance? Guess if there's danger that would make Tsunade do what she did, I need to be secure? Like I would know, they treat me like an object anyway…" And the best thing to do was lie to Iruka about it all, because what he didn't know couldn't give him medical issues.

"Stop lying about it!" He yelled it so suddenly I jumped a little. He'd practically stood up from the chair behind his desk. "I heard about the Akatsuki, too. Now tell me the truth, all of it!" He gripped the edges of the furniture and his rows of teeth were pressed tight together.

"Okay." But I wasn't going to. I was yet again going to practice the art of lying, even though he'd asked for the opposite. Something I was getting very good at. I tried to keep my eyes right on him, and didn't dare look around at the classroom. If my eyes darted, he'd know. "I was fine. See, one of them came alone, and I was out at my training grounds, and the guards didn't know." That was the truth, at the very least. "But they left, since they couldn't find me. They didn't hurt anyone, so they must not have been too concerned."

"Really." Iruka said this like he didn't believe me, with a hint of surprise. "They couldn't find you." He repeated this like it was obvious I wasn't telling the truth.

"If they did, they let me be." I shook my head and shrugged again, whilst inside I was panicking. He either had to believe the lie, or I would have to hurt him to keep the truth hidden. But my lie was a bit far fetched. A talented shinobi of S-criminal ranking couldn't find one person who was just outside. I had to hope.

"Nothing happened?"

"I was locked out all morning! I ended up sleeping on the ground, I was so tired." …And that really had happened, too, but I wasn't quite on the ground. "It freaked me out, but that's all, really." By now I'd been so practiced and confident that I had him somewhat convinced, it felt like things really had been that simple, just for awhile. But not only were they more complex, I'd also heard Itachi's story. Which, with that thought, started to come back. I willed it from my head so I wouldn't start cringing. Speaking of, what had happened to him? What would he do now?

He sighed, and I knew I could have started jumping up and down in relief. He'd taken my word for it. "You'd succumb to your need for a few hours of missed sleep before you worried about your safety." He fell back to the chair with his elbow on the desktop, propping up his head with his hand.

I shook him off with laugh, thinking it was time to bring up something else. "How're you and Kakashi?"

"Umhn." He made a highly unintelligible noise and looked at his stack.

"That bad, really?"

"No, not bad." He kept his eyes on the stack, and did something odd, for him. He kept on going. Normally Iruka was very hush-hush about anything involving Kakashi or their relationship. "I'm worried about him. Since what happened with Sakura," he paused, and I only lowered my head just slightly. Better. "Even since Sasuke. This morning didn't help any. He thinks he's worthless, but you and I both know that's not true."

"I know. I talked to him. He told me to come to you." This certainly was problem, but Kakashi didn't base all of his decisions on his gut feeling. Other than his mentality and attitude, I didn't think there was much to worry about.

"So you came because he told you to." Iruka shook his head, but it did sound like he was trying to be light and teasing. It just wasn't working well, since the topic was indeed Kakashi's sanity.

"Well…Things have been weird on my end, too. Jiriya left for who-knows-what, without saying anything about going to me."

"Right." Iruka had left a bit of space between my statement and his response. Maybe he knew what was going on, too, thanks to Kakashi. I probably didn't want to know, so I didn't ask. It was probably bad karma anyway, and I realized what might have been keeping me away from begging for information. If I'd asked about it too much, Kakashi would have wanted to know what had happened earlier. Secrecy for secrecy.

"About Kakashi…I don't know what else I can do. You're probably the best bet. He thinks I'm just a kid anyway, and wouldn't listen to me. Sometimes I think he's deaf to adv-"

"Kakashi doesn't think of you as a kid." Iruka turned and looked at me, ignoring the rest of my statement. He sounded defiant and confident. "He believes you have matured the most out of all of the students, in each team, and he thinks the same for Sasuke and Sakura. Thought." This seemed to be bit of a fix, since Sakura was in the past tense, but we still talked about her and how we felt like it was "now."

I could see the direction this was going. Me, mature. Even I could admit to myself I wasn't mature. While everyone that wasn't in our team was growing in rank, excelling in talent, becoming adults and having lives, I was "wasting" my life away, trying to keep Uchiha alive. Not to mention, I was proud to say I was, and didn't want anything else. Which made me even less mature. "In what possible sense could I have matured more than any of the people from my class?"

Iruka chuckled. "I didn't say in every way, sheesh." His chuckled sounded so dry and his eyes were so heavy, I felt like he was hiding something.

"What way, then?" I couldn't help but cross my arms involuntarily and glare at him.

"Not just one way. You'll laugh, besides."

"Oh, so it's something stupid? Great."

"Well, actually, I think it's important to you." Iruka continued to try and sound light, but I could tell he was hiding something else. "The first being, you don't give up and you don't get hostile. Something Sakura and Sasuke fail to do. No matter what happens or what you've been through, thanks to the village, you keep dreaming and you aren't faltered." He'd said it so openly, my stature relaxed and I had to stare at him.

"Not laughing yet." What else was I supposed to say? I guess that made me…kind of. I didn't know what to think. I was more shocked that Iruka had worded it - no one had ever brought up anything about that. Sure, him, Sasuke, and a few others had felt bad for me, but no one had ever stated that despite everything, I was still protecting the village. Usually, that was a thought I had, and only I had.

"I'm not done." Iruka swallowed some air and then let it out. "I think it's the highest display of maturity." His mind seemed to go somewhere else, eyes moving elsewhere for awhile, before he finally looked back at me. "You love people - unconditionally."

"People," I repeated, looking at him. That was a major placeholder. But I knew why he'd sad that instead of bluntly opening up a touchy subject - because the subject was touchy. "…Is not a word."

"The fact that you didn't find this funny makes it even more so." Iruka sat back, and as if he'd finished the conversation, picked up is red pen and glanced at the stack. "You love Sasuke, unconditionally. No matter what he does."

"I was sure you were included in the people who thought that was a bad thing." Iruka, to be perfectly honest, I knew really didn't like Sasuke, not for me and not in general. Ever since he left, at least - before, he probably thought I was just infatuated with him, since we were both pretty young. But now we both knew otherwise. This was something that would never go away, not with time, and not with distance. Not even with Sasuke's mistakes.

"Doesn't really matter what I think, does it?" Our conversation had gone from angry to light to tense all too quickly. What I thought had been some teasing had turned into this. I didn't like it. I hated it. I didn't like to make Iruka upset, but for once, I didn't try to make nice. I kept going.

"So that really doesn't make me mature, just the opposite."

"I didn't say we were talking about me - Kakashi thinks so."

"But you're saying, you don't think so."

"Doesn't matter what I think." He repeated.

"It matters to me what you think, so hurt feelings aside, do you think it's a bad thing? Do you think I should give up the person I love most? Do you think just because of the stupid mistakes he's made - all because of something traumatizing, I should drop him? For my own safety? Do you think it makes me immature to care so selflessly about a person?" I couldn't believe the way things were going. I never thought I would have to resort to talking like this, laying it on too thick - not on purpose, either. All of these things were true, and saying 'yes' was so unlike Iruka - he'd never throw away Kakashi, not for the world.

Iruka's answer turned me upside down. "Yes." It was blunt, unhesitant, and yet, somehow forced up. It was undoubtedly the truth, but he hadn't wanted to say it. I felt my previously tense and serious expression crumble, something I couldn't control. He didn't even follow his response with a usual, "I'm sorry, but," he just kept on talking. "I think it's time you gave up."

I opened my mouth, but no sound came up. My air locked up in my chest and didn't come up for a while, causing an incredibly sore lump to form that wasn't ready to rise into my throat.

"It's dangerous. He's dangerous. You'll end up killing yourself over something entirely unworthy." The words he was saying now so openly were things he'd never say, not normally. Yet they flowed out effortlessly. "You don't know if he even cares anymore."

Then I had an internal melt down. I did know. I did know, and I wanted to scream it to him but refrained, because no one was supposed to know that I'd met him again. Unworthy? Dangerous? Give up? My tongue was already being ripped up by my frantically gritting teeth, since I was trying hard to keep from screaming. I still knew my face looked shattered, but inside, I was on fire. It was because I really couldn't get mad at Iruka. It didn't even matter if he was right - if the entire world was right. No one was me but me, and no one was Sasuke but Sasuke, so no one would ever understand. Childish, but I didn't care. I did the opposite of care - I welcomed it.

"You -"

"Sh-shut up." I gasped, the lump rising slightly as I spoke, but he ignored me, pausing only for a moment.

" - asked me for the truth. I told you what I really thought." His voice took a more, soft, Iruka-like tone. "I know he's important to you, and I know how much you would do to get him back and set this all right, but if your life is on the line and it doesn't have to be, you should no what I think."

"That…Then what about being a shinobi? I don't have to do that, but I'm still risking my life." Now I was forced to argue with him. I willed the knot in my throat to stay put. I knew I wouldn't change his mind, but I had to keep defending myself - it came naturally.

"It isn't the same." He was right. "You know that. It's not just the factor of your life. Your happiness, your sanity."

"It is!" Not even quite sure what I was saying yet, everything was coming out in screams, now, my anger dissolving the lump. "My life, my sanity, my happiness…That would all disappear if I gave up! He is all that! The only person who knows that is…"

"You." Iruka said gently.

My mouth kept moving for a few seconds, but only silence came out, again.

"I know I can't stop you, but you wanted -"

"You're right." I straightened up and turned my eyes to the floor, interrupting him. "Doesn't change a thing. Sorry." As quickly as it had started, it ended, but I knew I couldn't stand there without snapping. So now that I'd checked on him, shown him I was indeed alright, I walked away, heading for his door at a quick pace. He didn't say anything behind me.

When the door was slammed, Iruka let a breath he'd been holding out, and held his arm over his eyes, crumbling just as Naruto had. His body slouched in his wooden chair and he breathed audibly, a few more times, his head finally resting in his arms against the desk. A few moments later, someone slid him slightly forward on the chair and pulled him into his lap. The visitor undid Iruka's ponytail and combed his fingers through his long hair. Like he'd been there the whole time.

"I should have lied, Kakashi."

"No."

"I hurt him."

"You told him the truth. But you didn't say it all, you know, that may have helped." Kakashi pushed the strands just slightly out of his way and pressed his lips to the back of Iruka's next. His arms curled around the other in front of him.

Iruka leaned his head forward a little in response. "I guess I should have. You know I wish it was normal - that the kid never had to be put through anything, and Naruto wouldn't have to be in any danger - if they'd just lived normal lives and Sasuke hadn't become so…I can't argue with Naruto's choice of person, but with all of this…" He trailed off, unsure of what solace there would have been behind his mean words, so Kakashi interrupted him.

"I have to disagree with you." Kakashi muttered, Iruka looking slightly puzzled before he responded. As he spoke, Kakashi dragged the zipper of Iruka's vest downwards. "Would the boys have ended up close if their solitude hadn't been a factor?" He paused and shoved the vest away, Iruka to intent on listening to complain. "Their personalities clash. If they hadn't gone through so much, they never would have realized how perfect they were for one another - differences would have kept them apart."

"I don't know." Iruka's voice had quieted to a soft sound that wasn't quite a whisper. He didn't want to think about it anymore - not now that Naruto was upset. Maybe Kakashi was right. "I take your sudden mood as a sign that you heard me tell Naruto I worried about you."

"Absolutely nothing to do with." Kakashi sounded amused, though, and Iruka knew better, by now. The Jounin slipped his hands underneath Iruka's shirt, pushing the hem up as he went.

"We're in a classroom, you -" Iruka started, halfway calm and halfway jumpy. He reached for Kakashi's arms, but was stopped when the other pressed his mouth right against his ear to whisper the rest of his words.

"He never got suspicious and asked you?"

He paused for a moment and considered Kakashi's words. Maybe, above all else, the reason he didn't want Naruto to bring Sasuke back was because the instant he stepped through the gates, Naruto would lose him again. "No. But I wouldn't have been able to -" Iruka's voice dropped to the same tone.

"No one would have." With that, Kakashi pulled Iruka's entire shirt off and over his head, thinking the best thing for both of them would be anything - especially this - to take their minds off of what was happening.

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