AN: Hello.

[Insert obligatory disclaimer here stating the obvious]

A note on the setting: Story starts in that time after they've returned from the Land of Waves but before the chunin exams. The timeline may be altered slightly but the general idea is the same.

Warnings: Nothing "inappropriate" in this chapter. This is a story, not a snog-fest, and things must progress in a natural way accordingly. Overall, though, be aware that this is a slash/yaoi pairing fic. It is also worth noting that, since I'm writing a KakaIru fic, I'm a big supporter of the GLBTA. If you don't know what that is, Google it; they're good people. In order to maintain an ounce of realism, though, not everyone in this fic is going to be all sunshine and roses regarding same-sex relationships. Please be aware that the negative views of these characters do not reflect my views on the subject. Thank you.

Chapter One – In Which They Brainstorm and Iruka Makes a Suggestion

The wooded training grounds were nearly silent in the early evening sunlight. Despite the oppressive heat of the day, birds still sang cheerfully in the treetops surrounding the small clearing that sat near the memorial stone. The only other sound permeating the area came from three exhausted genin who were attempting to remain upright. Heavy breathing accompanied the trembling of their arms as the three junior shinobi struggled to maintain the handstands they had been ordered to hold for the greater part of the last hour.

Sakura pulled in a ragged breath as she felt herself slip slightly. She wobbled precariously for a second before she threw a surge of chakra into her palms, rooting her firmly back in place. She had little left to spare and felt the effects of chakra depletion creep up on her. By the looks on the faces of her sweat-soaked cohorts, Naruto and Sasuke weren't fairing much better than she was. Sasuke's eyes were starting to glaze over; Naruto has turned an unflattering shade of red from effort. As they had spent the day running drills and were worn out before they had even begun the handstands, all three ninja had little energy left for a prolonged strength exercise.

The pink-haired kunoichi shot a half-hearted glare at Naruto. The punishment they were being subjected to was entirely his fault. Sakura was still angry with him, even though her inner-self had long since run out of nasty names to call the blonde boy. He had completely botched their mock-up mission but, in the spirit of teamwork, Kakashi-sensei chose to punish all three of them.

Sakura turned her eyes away from her teammates, seeking out the form of their jonin sensei. He sat a few yards away, back against the trunk of a tall maple. His nose was buried in the ever-present orange Icha Icha book but Sakura wasn't fooled for a moment; she knew he was very well aware of his surroundings.

Her arms gave a small tremor and Sakura screwed her eyes shut, taking a few more deep breaths. If this went on much longer, she was certain she would collapse, and then what would Sasuke think of her? Gritting her teeth, Sakura braced herself. She had to hold on and prove she was just as good as the boys.

"Alright, I think you've had enough for one day." Kakashi's voice floated lazily over to his students. He snapped his book shut and gained his feet in a fluid motion. He crossed the clearing to stand near the genin as they crumpled into undignified heaps at his feet.

"Tomorrow. Six a.m." Without another word, their sensei spun around and stalked off, hands shoved into his pockets. He was gone in a matter of moments.

"I can't feel my arms," Sakura murmured between gasps. She rolled onto her side, clutching the leaden limbs to her chest.

Naruto pushed himself up into a sitting position and then slumped forward, groaning. From his other side, Sasuke merely grunted as he stared up at the sky, arms flung out to either side of his body.

"Hey," Naruto started hesitantly, flexing stiff fingers. He lifted his head and glanced between Sakura and Sasuke. "What d'ya suppose is wrong with Kakashi-sensei?"

Sakura frowned and forced herself to sit up. She knew if she lay on the ground much longer, her muscles would start to freeze up. With a deep sigh and a grimace, she fumbled to her feet. "Everyone has bad days, Naruto," she said with a hint of condescension.

"Yeah, but he's been really grumpy for the last week," Naruto defended. He started stretching slowly.

Beside him, Sasuke was standing stiffly. "It's probably the heat," the dark-haired boy murmured, rolling his shoulders.

"Naruto has a point, though," Sakura admitted grudgingly. She didn't like to contradict Sasuke's opinion but Naruto had hit on something she had been noticing as well. Their usually lackadaisical sensei had been very testy lately. He even went as far as to snap at her a couple days ago when she missed her target during kunai practice. Kakashi-sensei was not known to raise his voice at them unless there was actually a danger of someone getting hurt, and there had been no chance of anyone being remotely damaged by her bad aim that day.

Sakura ignored the asinine expression on Naruto's face when she agreed with him. Chewing absently on her thumbnail, she turned her thoughts inward for a moment. "It can't be just the heat," she started slowly, thinking aloud. "Because it's only been hot for the last three days." She saw Sasuke shrug out of the corner of her eye but pressed on. "Maybe something is bothering him?"

"What would bother Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto finally stood, stretching out his back.

The kunoichi pursed her lips. "I don't know. But... maybe we could try to cheer him up?" The suggestion was tentative. Considering how secretive their sensei was, she doubted they would be able to figure out what was causing his recent foul moods, but if they were able to make him feel better in general, perhaps he would be less harsh in dealing out punishments. She rubbed her arms subconsciously and winced at the ache that throbbed through them.

"We should get him a gift!" Naruto said enthusiastically.

"A gift?" Sasuke's tone was derisive.

"Yeah, why not?" Naruto glared at Sasuke. "Everyone likes getting presents, right?"

Sasuke had no answer for that and moved into a hamstring stretch with another noncommittal shrug. Sakura thought there must have been something wrong with her because she was silently agreeing with Naruto for the second time.

"Okay," she said slowly, crossing her arms. "I have some money saved up from all our D-rank missions. If we all chip in a bit, we could probably get him something." She glanced at the other two for confirmation. Naruto was nodding eagerly while Sasuke refrained from speaking. Sakura took his silence as a yes. If Sasuke wasn't on board, he would have walked away by now. "Do either of you have any idea what he might like?"

Silence descended on the genin. After a moment of brain racking, Naruto shrugged overdramatically. "For a guy with lots of hobbies, he sure doesn't look like he does anything but read Icha Icha books." The blonde folded his arms, face serious.

"And we're not old enough to buy him one of those," Sakura said, her voice nearly squeaking with embarrassment of the idea of going into the type of shop that sold Kakashi's chosen reading material.

"He probably has them all anyway," Sasuke added dryly.

"Any idea what else he might like to do?" Sakura prompted, trying her best to remember if they had seen any sign that Kakashi actually did have as many interests as he claimed to have. Her question was met with blank looks from the boys. She rolled her eyes. "Well, we need to figure it out soon, okay? I don't know if I can manage another day like today."

The corner of Sasuke's eye twitched slightly but Naruto was nodding his agreement. "Yeah, that sucked. And I'm hungry, too!" As if to make his point, Naruto's stomach chose that moment to groan loudly. They hadn't eaten lunch since very early that afternoon.

Sakura hesitated a minute before encompassing both boys in her gaze. "My mom's making soba stir-fry tonight. Come have dinner with us and we can brainstorm Kakashi-sensei's gift." She was elated when Sasuke muttered a vague "okay" and somewhat annoyed when Naruto also took her up on the offer. She reminded herself that this was for the good of the team; Naruto wasn't as bad as he used to be, anyway. Hopefully he'd behave himself.

"I bet he reads more than just Icha Icha books," Sakura mused as she toyed with her spoon. An empty bowl sat in front of her, the dregs of her ice cream dessert swirled around the bottom of the dish in a pink and white pattern.

"Then why bring those out into public?" Sasuke countered, handing his bowl to Mrs. Haruno when Sakura's mother came to claim the dishes. He thanked her politely before turning his attention back to his teammates.

"Right." Sakura chewed her lip for a moment, staring at her spoon until her mother snatched it out of her hand. Mrs. Haruno disappeared back into the kitchen, leaving the genin to continue their discussion alone.

"I have plants," Naruto announced. "Maybe Kakashi-sensei likes plants?"

"He could garden." Sakura nodded her agreement to the idea.

"His nails are too clean," Sasuke said with a shake of his head.

Inner-Sakura swooned briefly at how observant Sasuke was before her logical side took control again. "I bet he does something weird and that's why no one knows about his hobbies."

"Like knitting!" Naruto chuckled.

"Knitting isn't weird," Sakura defended, frowning. She knitted all the time.

"It is for a guy," Naruto defended.

"Fine, then. What else?" Sakura huffed slightly and sat back in her chair, arms dangling down past her seat.

"Painting?" Naruto guessed next.

"Or calligraphy," Sakura expanded on the idea. "Or maybe he just draws?"

"Music?" Naruto ticked off his fingers. "Or pottery or fishing or… uhm…" The blonde scratched his head thoughtfully.

"What about collections?" Sasuke spoke up again when Naruto paused for breath. "Many people collect… things."

"I collect interesting ramen packages!" Naruto offered excitedly.

Sakura rolled her eyes. "I doubt Kakashi-sensei collects old food wrappers."

"He seems more the type to collect weapons," Sasuke mused. "Or scrolls."

"Or porn," Naruto added with a grin. His companions ignored him.

"Weapons are too expensive. We don't have enough for anything that fancy." Sakura pouted dejectedly before an idea struck her. She sat up straight. "Cooking!" Sakura announced matter-of-factly.

"What?" Naruto stared at her, a baffled expression flickering across his face.

"Cooking. I bet Kakashi-sensei cooks."

Sasuke's brows twitched closer together. "What makes you think that?"

"Those bento-boxes we ate that first day." Sakura held her finger up as if imparting important information. "Those were home-made and good. I bet Kakashi-sensei cooks, and if he's good at it, he probably enjoys it. I mean, how else would he have fed himself all this time?"

"Unless someone else made them for him." Sasuke frowned in thought.

"Naw, who would have made them?" Naruto asked dismissively.

"How much do we really know about Kakashi-sensei?" Sasuke rubbed his chin as he considered his own question. "He may have a girlfriend. Or he could be married. We don't know, do we?"

Naruto jumped as though the idea had never crossed his mind. "He could have kids."

"I get the impression that Kakashi-sensei doesn't like children," Sakura told them honestly. "I doubt he'd have kids. But he could have a girlfriend, I suppose."

"I think we need to face a very simple fact: We do not know enough about him to pick out a significant gift." Sasuke tapped his fingers on the tabletop.

"Then we need to find out," Naruto said firmly, slapping his hand down onto the table. "We'll just go to his home and poke around until we find out what he likes."

"Do any of us actually know where he lives?" Sakura asked, eyebrows raised. The three of them exchanged looks and head-shakes.

"Tomorrow after practice," Sasuke started, his voice taking on a tone that suggested this was going to be their plan and no one was going to argue with it, "I'll follow him home. That should tell us what we need to know."

"I'll come with you," Sakura started but Sasuke interrupted her.

"No. Two of us would look suspicious if he happened to see." Sasuke narrowed his eyes at his teammates, daring them to argue. Neither did.

"Naruto, why don't you go talk to Iruka-sensei tomorrow after training and see if he knows anything about Kakashi-sensei," Sakura suggested. "They're pretty close in age, I think. Iruka-sensei may have picked up some sort of clue over the years."

"Assuming they know each other," Sasuke pointed out.

Naruto ignored Sasuke's comment and nodded vigorously at Sakura. "Good idea! What are you going to do tomorrow after practice?"

Sakura grimaced. "I have a dental appointment. But I can meet up with you guys afterward and find out what you learned."

Sasuke skirted along the rooftops, stepping lightly despite his fatigue. Training had been another arduous day of drill after drill. They hadn't gotten a mission in what seemed like forever and the inactivity was grating on Sasuke's nerves. He wanted to feel the rush of adrenaline that came from completing his duties, not spend six hours practicing blindfolded shuriken throws.

He paused for a minute as Kakashi turned down a side street. Below his fingertips, the tiles of the roof radiated heat upward, making him uncomfortable. Sasuke would be glad when summer was over and the incessant heat wave they were experiencing faded into the much more comfortable temperatures of autumn. As soon as he determined that Kakashi was far enough ahead, Sasuke picked his pace up again, hopping nimbly along.

Whatever Sasuke was expecting, Kakashi's apartment was not exactly it. The three-story building had a drab, neglected look about it. The tiles of the rooftop were faded, the paint on the walls chipped and cracked with age. Sasuke watched as Kakashi checked a mailbox nailed to the wall of the lowest apartment. The older ninja then entered the building through the door; he apparently lived on the ground floor.

As soon as the latch clicked, Sasuke alighted onto Kakashi's roof, and then jumped down to land soundlessly next to the mailbox. A glance told Sasuke that if Kakashi was attached to someone, they did not live there, too. It held only the sensei's name in cheap, peeling stickers.

Sasuke glanced around the façade of the apartment. There were no flowerboxes or herbs growing in Kakashi's windows. The curtains were drawn so Sasuke could not see inside. The young ninja circumvented the building but came up with nothing. It was a rather disappointing investigation.

Lips pressed thin in dissatisfaction, Sasuke turned away from his sensei's apartment and headed back toward the Academy - his team's chosen meeting place - hoping that Naruto was able to come up with something more substantial from Iruka-sensei.

"Iruka-sensei!"

"Naruto?" Iruka blinked a couple times then smiled at the blonde that had come bounding into the classroom shortly after the last class of the day filed out.

"Hi, Iruka-sensei!" Naruto skid to a stop in front of the instructor's desk. The chunin set his pen aside and leaned back in his chair, knowing very well that he wouldn't get any grading done until after the exuberant genin had left.

"What can I do for you?" Iruka asked. As far as he could remember, he hadn't promised Naruto ramen. He had hardly even seen the boy since Team Seven had returned from the Land of the Waves. Iruka felt a brief flutter of guilt for not having taken some time to catch up with Naruto in the past couple weeks, but his Academy workload seemed to be heavier than usual, and Naruto had been busy training with Kakashi.

"I wanted to ask you something," Naruto started, folding his arms and assuming a rather serious expression. Iruka braced himself for the expected ramen-request. "What sorts of things does Kakashi-sensei like?"

Iruka blinked. "I'm sorry, what?"

"Kakashi-sensei. I mean, you know him, right? So, we wanted to get him something but all he does is read those pervy books." Naruto leaned forward on Iruka's desk slightly.

"I'm sorry, Naruto. I don't actually know Kakashi-sensei very well." Iruka frowned, folding his arms.

Naruto deflated slightly. "Oh."

"Kakashi-sensei is a very quiet person from what I understand. The only one that might have any idea of his likes would probably be Might Guy," Iruka continued after a moment of consideration. "Although if you ask me, you can never go wrong when your intentions are good."

Naruto nodded a few times then frowned again. "Okay. What's that mean?"

Iruka resisted the urge to rub his temple. His last class had been taxing enough without having to deal with Naruto on top of it. With patience gained from years of teaching hormonal pre-teens ninja techniques, Iruka tried to clarify.

"You're trying to get a gift for your sensei for whatever reason – no, you don't have to explain-" Iruka held up a hand when Naruto opened his mouth, cutting the younger ninja off, "-but you don't know what to get for him. Am I right?"

"Well, yeah." Naruto scuffed the toe of his sandal against the floor. "He's been a real grouch lately," he clarified, even though Iruka had told him it was unnecessary to elaborate.

Iruka sighed. Anyone having to deal with Naruto for long periods of time was bound to get cranky; Iruka had suffered from a similar problem during the genin's stint in the Academy. "Anyway," the instructor continued, pushing those memories to the back of his mind. "Just follow your heart and you can't go wrong."

Naruto still looked confused, his brows knit tightly and his lips pouted out. Iruka recognized that look; the gears in Naruto's brain were grinding away like mad but no comprehension dawned on the boy's face. With an inward groan, Iruka tried one last time to get his point across. "I'm sure Kakashi-sensei would appreciate any gesture from you and your team."

"But we don't want to make a gesture, we want to get him a gift," Naruto objected. Iruka barely kept himself from running a hand down his face.

"Bake him some cookies," Iruka tried one last time, almost desperately. "Everyone likes homemade cookies."

Naruto instantly brightened. "Hey, that's a good idea! Thanks, Iruka-sensei!" Before Iruka had the chance to reply, Naruto raced from the room, slamming the sliding door behind him hard enough that the chalk rattled on the blackboard tray. Iruka shook his head and picked his pen up once more, returning his attention to the stack of papers on his desk. He vaguely hoped, for Kakashi's sake, that one of the members of Team Seven knew how to bake.

Sakura sat on the swing that hung just outside the Academy door. She rocked slightly, her toe planned firmly against the dirt to gently push her back and forth. The sound of feet tamping against the ground brought her attention to one side where Sasuke landed. He looked frustrated as he stalked toward her across the school grounds.

"Naruto not here yet?" he asked in greeting.

"No," Sakura replied, voice slightly muffled. Sasuke's eyes narrowed at the odd speech impediment and Sakura's cheeks colored slightly as she glanced toward the Academy door. "Ma mouf ith numb. Dentith."

Sasuke didn't reply to that as the door to the Academy opened. Naruto exited the building and ran toward them, a grin plastered on his face. "Looks like the dummy had more luck than I did," Sasuke muttered.

"Hey, guys!" Naruto stopped a few feet away, hands on his hips. "What did you learn, Sasuke? Iruka-sensei had a great idea!"

"He lives alone," Sasuke said bluntly, shifting his weight. "What did Iruka-sensei say?"

"He said we should bake him some cookies!" Naruto looked exceptionally proud of himself. "So… uhm… do either of you know how to do that?"

"Yesth." Sakura smiled lopsidedly. "Plusth ma mahm can hel usth."

"Uh…" Naruto glanced at Sasuke.

"Dentist." The dark-haired boy looked to Sakura. "Is it too late to bake them tonight?"

Sakura shook her head. "Leths go!"

"I wish I could eat one now," Sakura lamented as she slid her spatula under a cookie, lifting it off the baking sheet and onto the wire rack to cool. "Dr. Abusan said no sweets until my filling fully sets." She wrinkled her nose. At least the numbness had gone away by the time the cookies were out of the oven. She was getting tired of having to repeat herself when Naruto failed to understand her garbled speech.

She shot a dark look at the blonde ninja. He was attempting to scrape the very last of the cookie dough from the mixing bowl. Nearby, Sasuke had his arms elbow-deep in suds, scrubbing at the dirty dishes. He had a streak of flour on his cheek and Sakura giggled to herself at the sight. Naruto may have been annoying, trying to eat the unbaked dough before she even got it into the oven, but Sasuke had been downright useless in the kitchen. At least Naruto had been able to competently mix ingredients. Sasuke's attempts to help had made an even larger mess of the kitchen than baking usually did. Sakura forgave Sasuke readily, though; he had offered to do all the dishes. Sakura hated doing the dishes.

"Can I have one?" Naruto asked, arm already reaching past Sakura to grab at the cooling cookies. Sakura smacked the back of his hand with the spatula.

"Those are for Kakashi-sensei!" she scolded.

"He doesn't need to eat all of them," Naruto whined. "Please, Sakura?"

Sakura regarded his puppy-dog expression, lip curling slightly. She was about to deny him when Sasuke's voice broke in.

"Just let him eat a couple. It might shut him up." The Uchiha snagged the last mixing bowl from Naruto's other hand, dunking it in the sink.

Somewhat reluctantly, Sakura picked out two of the smaller cookies and handed them over to Naruto. "Did you want one, Sasuke?" she asked, hand hovering over a larger cookie.

"I don't care for sweets," he replied bluntly. "Thanks," he added as an afterthought.

"Can I have his?" Naruto started reaching toward the racks again. Sakura whapped his hand with her spatula once more.

"No!" Sakura rolled her eyes. "You should go home, Naruto. I'll wrap these up once they cool and bring them to practice tomorrow." When he looked ready to argue, Sakura raised her spatula threateningly.

"Fine." Naruto pouted. "Just don't forget them!"

There was a soft pop as Sasuke pulled the plug from the drain. "I'll head out, too. Come on, dummy." Sasuke bumped Naruto's shoulder roughly with his own as he passed. Sakura followed them to the door and waved goodbye with her spatula. With the boys gone, Sakura set herself to the task of finding the perfect box to put the cookies in. Kakashi was going to love their gift and perhaps he'd finally lighten up again.

Kakashi landed lightly on the archway over the bridge, crouching quietly as he watched his students talking amongst themselves. They hadn't noticed him yet and he was in no rush to make himself known. The foul mood that had followed him lately started to creep up on the jonin once more, despite his attempts to shake it off. He felt mildly bad about channeling his sour mood into their training sessions, but he brushed off the feeling quickly. They had to learn that not everyone was going to coddle them all the time.

Truth be told, Kakashi had not been sleeping well. Bad memories had surfaced lately and he had been spending more time than usual staring blankly at the memorial stone. Only now, instead of merely dwelling on Rin and Obito, other ghosts were bothering the jonin. He shook his head, pushing those thoughts back into the recesses of his mind. As hard as he tried to suppress them during the day, painful recollections of the past kept invading his brain, blocking out sleep and driving him to distraction.

With a sigh, Kakashi focused on the genin below him. They were huddled around something, whispering almost conspiratorially. That was odd. Typically, they spent their mornings complaining about how he was late, or arguing about trivial things. The fact that Naruto's voice wasn't any louder than a whisper tugged at Kakashi's curiosity. Deciding he had delayed long enough, the Copy-Nin hopped down from the arch, landing silently behind his students.

"Good morning," he said as cheerfully as he could muster, holding up a hand in greeting. Sakura jumped and Naruto flinched. The only sign that Sasuke had been even remotely surprised by their sensei's arrival showed in a widening of his eyes but he managed to keep his body from outwardly reacting. Kakashi frowned behind his mask. His pupils were up to something to react so guiltily.

"You're late!" Naruto started, pointing an accusing finger at Kakashi. By now, this was a tradition, although usually Sakura joined in. Kakashi turned his eye expectantly to the kunoichi. She was holding something behind her back, though, and didn't add her usual two-cents regarding his tardiness. The three genin exchanged guarded expressions as if trying to silently communicate. Kakashi quashed a growing sense of annoyance at their behavior.

"Well, let's get going." Kakashi turned his back to the three and started across the bridge. When he didn't hear the sound of their foot-falls behind him, he glanced over his shoulder. Kakashi's eye narrowed as Naruto attempted to snatch something out of Sakura's hands. It looked like a box of some sort.

About to say something about their peculiar behavior, Kakashi was cut off by Sasuke, who smacked Naruto over the head with his fist and then took the box from Sakura. The young Uchiha marched up to Kakashi and thrust the box into the older ninja's hands.

Kakashi stared blankly down at the box for a long moment while Sakura and Naruto came forward to stand with Sasuke. He glanced up at them then back at the box. It was a pretty box, he had to admit, although not really his style. Pink and white flowers blossomed across the black, shiny material. He wasn't certain but he thought it was some sort of fancy cardboard.

"Well? Open it!" Naruto blurted.

Kakashi blinked slowly. Of course, there was something inside the box. Carefully, he hooked his fingers under the lid and pried it off. He was hit with the instant scent of chocolate and he found his eyebrows rising of their own volition at the pile of small, round chocolate-chip cookies nestled in a layer of purple tissue paper. His eye returned to his students.

"Sakura baked them," Naruto explained. "I mixed the dough."

"Sasuke helped, too," Sakura added, although she didn't elaborate his part in the process.

"You baked me cookies?" Kakashi voiced, amusement starting to slip into his tone.

"It was Iruka-sensei's idea." Naruto scratched the back of his head, grinning.

"Iruka-sensei told you to bake me cookies." Kakashi was honestly confused. Why in the world would their old Academy teacher tell them to do this? He hardly knew the man.

"Well, yes but not really. You see…" Naruto frowned while his mind tried to find the words to explain. Sakura stepped in, saving him the trouble.

"We wanted to do something to… cheer you up," she told him hesitantly. "Since you've been-" she paused, fumbling for the most tactful words, "-not yourself. Iruka-sensei suggested cookies when we asked his opinion."

Kakashi looked back down at the baked goods. Slowly, his eye started to arch in a genuine smile. Perhaps he had been a little harsh with them lately, and yet they returned his grouchiness with a thoughtful gift. And he was fond of chocolate-chip cookies. Although it wasn't exactly enough to banish the demons that seemed intent on keeping him up at night, it did make him feel a small curl of warmth in the pit of his stomach that his genin thought enough of him to try to cheer him up.

He placed the lid firmly back in place and tucked the box under his arm. "Thank you. I'll enjoy them later. Now, let's get moving. We have a mission today."

"Alright!" Naruto pumped his fist into the air. "What're we doing today? Tracking down rogue ninja, protecting some princess on her journey?"

"Mrs. Tanaka needs someone to help her plant a cherry tree in her garden." Kakashi smiled even more broadly at the suddenly deflated look on Naruto's face. Kakashi knew he'd be in for a day of listening to Naruto complain about the task but the thought of a box full of cookies somehow lessened the feelings of irritation that threatened to break free. In the face of chocolate-chips, the day was going to be downright pleasant.