Day 6: Ice Skating

Breaking the Ice

"Hurry up, 'Kashi! Are you just going to stand there and stare at it?"

Kakashi eyed the frozen pond before him warily. He didn't trust the frozen water, but he wasn't sure why. He had an easy enough time walking on regular water, but he knew regular water. Something about the skating rink was just so foreign to him. He didn't know how to move on the ice – it wasn't something Sensei had trained him to do. He could probably keep from slipping, just as long as he could use his chakra to keep his balance, but skate? He had never tried anything like that before.

"Come on, it's easy," Iruka reassured him.

The younger boy still had a hard time hiding his pride at being more experienced at something than his chuunin friend for once. He didn't have the nerve to treat the older boy like a student, but he wasn't going to let him forget who was the one who knew what he was doing. Maybe he could just coach him a bit.

"My parents and I always skate when the pond freezes," he told Kakashi, "Is this really your first time?"

"Sensei never showed me how," the older boy replied.

Needless to say no one else ever had either. Iruka slid over towards him and offered a hand.

"You can show yourself then. I'm sure it'll be easy for you."

His words were warm and built Kakashi up with confidence. The chuunin put one foot boldly on the ice. He still wasn't used to the skates though and wobbled a bit. Finally, he had both feet on and was sliding slowly.

"That's it!" Iruka cheered, "Now just try moving them so you can go the way you want."

Kakashi tried steering himself, but it was harder than it looked. He didn't want to pick up one of his feet out of fear of losing his balance but it was too difficult to turn his skates without lifting them off the ice for a moment. He turned his body the way he wanted to go, but his feet didn't follow.

"Step in the direction you want to skate," Iruka suggested, "Don't worry about falling. You can do it quick and catch yourself if you lose your balance."

He stood next to the older boy, wondering if he should be ready to catch him, but he knew the chuunin wouldn't want to be babied. The best way was to let him learn on his own. Kakashi took a bold step, determined to show that he was not afraid. If his friend could do it, then why couldn't he? Kakashi showed just a little too much confidence, though, and stepped so hard that the slippery impact surprised him, and before he knew it, his arms were flailing and he was on his back. Iruka stood over him, with his arms outreached as if clutching the invisible chuunin who was now lying on the ice.

Kakashi looked up to see Iruka staring down at him with a mixture of guilt and amusement on his face.

"Don't step so hard," he offered as late advice, "You're not trying to break the ice."

"Yeah," was all Kakashi was able to mumble before he let Iruka grab his hand and pull him to his feet.

Iruka was determined not to let his friend fall again. He skated close to Kakashi, steadying the chuunin when he started to sway too much to one side or wobble. Kakashi pretended to be annoyed by the extra help at first, but had to admit that he felt more relaxed and confident now that he knew he had Iruka there to catch him. They took the first large turn around the pond slowly but successfully. Kakashi was beginning to enjoy the weightless feeling of sliding over the ice so easily, moving so far with such little effort. As he became more comfortable, he bravely sped up the pace, leaving Iruka trailing behind him at beginner's speed.

"Not so fast, Kakashi! You have to practice some more first!" the younger boy called out from behind him.

Haven't I practiced enough? Kakashi thought stubbornly, I can do this.

He was used to being a fast learner, and while he might not be an expert yet, he was good enough to step up to the next level at least. As he approached the next turn, Iruka raced behind him as fast as he could go. At one point, the younger boy stumbled forward, but caught himself and continued his pursuit. He didn't think he'd make it in time, but just as Kakashi lifted a skate to take the turn, Iruka pulled up next to him and reached out towards him. He caught his friend the moment the older boy's legs got tangled from skates moving in two different directions.

What Iruka didn't count on, though, was the force of Kakashi's fall, strengthened by the rapid speed that the chuunin had been going. It bowled the smaller boy over, and the two of them went down together, Iruka clutching onto Kakashi, the chuunin's eyes wide with alarm. They didn't stop after they had hit the ground, either. Their layers of clothes had helped soften the impact, but they also continued sliding fast, barely slowing down before they hit the snow bank with a loud thump. Kakashi, who had landed on top of the other boy, went flying even further.

Iruka groaned as he sat up, brushing the snow off of him and aching a bit. He saw the chuunin sitting deeper in the bank, two eyes glaring at him between the snow bank and the pile on top of his fluffy silver hair. The younger boy frowned.

"What? I was trying to help you, you know!"

"You surprised me! I wouldn't have fallen if I had been able to concentrate on the turn."

"I surprised you?You would have fallen anyway! I should be mad at you for taking me down with you!"

"It's your own fault for getting in the way."

"Quit trying to blame it on me! What kind of chuunin are you?"

He received a snowball in the face as a reply. The younger boy retaliated quickly, though and soon buried what was left of Kakashi in the snow. By the time the silver-haired boy dug himself out, Iruka was already on his feet, laughing as he slid back across the ice. He launched an extra snowball he had been carrying, which exploded on the front of Kakashi's jacket as the chuunin struggled to stand among the snow on his shaky skates. He lost his balance at the same time, making it look like the snowball had knocked him down. Despite knowing his disadvantage, Kakashi rose again and took off onto the ice, skidding between ungraceful glides as he pursued the other boy around the rink. Iruka slid with ease, staying just out of the chuunin's reach but close enough – so Kakashi could "concentrate."