Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Faint ❯ Part 12 - More than friendship? ( Chapter 12 )

Genma is cute! I love Genma! Wooh! Anyway, uh, this chapter is a bit weird by my nice and sweet beta-reader gave me a loud SQUEE when she read it - bottom line, she liked it. Oh! Oh! You must check out her deviantart account! She has made me a nice pic of Iruka in leather (see chapter 8) and she has colored it. I must say that I have been drooling on that picture for the past hour while putting up my author's notes. Go check it out and bow to her!

Faint 12 for you guys! Enjoy!

FAINT 12

"YOU!" Naruto yelled at Genma, pointing a finger with a scowl on his face. "How dare you put Iruka-sensei's life in danger like that?"

"Danger?" Genma blinked and stared down at Iruka, who was now being supported completely by his arms, head resting on his shoulder. He helped the chuunin back to his chair and looked at Naruto, who was clearly very pissed off. Genma winced as the tip of Naruto's nin-sandals hit his left shin and he scowled at the boy.

"Next time you do anything to Iruka-sensei I'll kick you over there." He gestured to a particularly sensitive area.

"I'd like to see you try, brat!" Genma hissed.

Before a fight between the pissed off blonde and the annoyed Jounin broke out, Iruka came in between. "More ramen, Naruto?"

"Yes!" Naruto said, ignoring Genma as if he was never there in the first place and plopping back onto his stool, rubbing his hands together as another steaming bowl was placed before him.

Genma slid onto the stool beside Iruka and watched him, who watched Naruto stir his noodles and began to wolf them down. Iruka smiled and then turned his attention to Genma. "Ramen?"

"You don't mind?" Genma asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"One chicken ramen please." Iruka said and the old man nodded and began to prepare another bowl. Iruka smiled at his friend and comrade and flicked a glance at Naruto who was poking something in his bowl. Naruto was amazed how the fishcake seemed to float back up and sink for some reason. Iruka was about to speak when another shuffle sounded from behind him.

"I want four bowls. That was the price. You lost three rounds!"

"Yeah, yeah."

Genma noticed how Iruka tensed. He slapped bills on the table, just the right amount for everything he ordered, including Genma's bowl. "You'll have to excuse me, Shiranui-san. Naruto, come. Let's get you home?"

"Okay!" Naruto patted his stomach. "Uh, can I sleep over, Iruka-sensei?"

Iruka smiled fondly at his former blonde student and ruffled his hair. "Sure." He stood up and so did Naruto. Genma did not say anything to stop Iruka from leaving, as the newcomers stopped and turned to look at the leaving chuunin.

Raido and Kakashi were about to utter a greeting, but Iruka walked right passed them, as if they were not even there in the first place. Naruto gave them a little wave before bouncing out behind Iruka and latching onto his back.

XXX

Genma watched as Iruka ignored the two baffled and ashamed looking jounins. He signaled to the man to wrap up his order instead and waited for it with a fixed calm and emotion-free face. Raido sat on his chair while Kakashi merely pulled out his book, made an order and read as if nothing happened.

Iruka's laughter sounded from outside as Naruto jumped on his back. Genma could feel a smile threatening to tug at his lips as he watched a very happy Iruka give Naruto a piggyback ride. His order was placed before him.

"Genma?" Raido said, looking at him with guilt all over his dark colored eyes.

"What?" Genma asked flatly.

Raido was about to say something when he looked away in shame. "I'm sorry."

Genma said nothing and just left the ramen joint.

XXX

Iruka pushed Naruto gently into the room and the boy immediately jumped up on the bed and dove under the pillows, fresh from his shower and dressed in a pair of gray pyjamas that Iruka kept in case Naruto decided to crash over. Iruka arranged the pillows and pulled the blankets over Naruto, rubbing his forehead.

"I'm free tomorrow! No missions till the day after! I'm going to train!"

Iruka nodded and smiled. "And you'll be a very strong ninja." Iruka said and brushed Naruto's cheek affectionately. "Good night Naruto."

"Good night." Naruto said, snuggling deeper into the covers and hugging the green blanket.

Iruka stepped out of the room and turned the lamp off, closing the door slowly with a light click. He padded for his own room and took out a pair of pyjamas and headed for the bathroom. He showered, changed and brushed his teeth then dropped his weight on his own bed and stared out the window. It was cool evening, with a cloudless sky and full moon.

He was about to fall asleep when he felt a shadow cast over his window. He grabbed the kunai he conveniently kept under his pillow, and with lightning fast reflexes, pushed the window open, grabbed the intruder and pinned him on his bed, kunai pressing against the pale neck. Iruka met no struggle and blinked as he stared down at his captive.

"For a teacher, you're way too fast." Genma said, smiling up at him, the needle he normally chewed on gone. Iruka was stunned and remained in his straddling position, kunai pulled back only slightly. Long seconds ticked away and Genma felt the smile on his lips grow broader. "Does that mean you enjoy seeing me pinned below you, totally helpless and submissive?"

Iruka jumped back, stashed away the kunai and leaned against the far wall of his room, face flushed and arms wrapped protectively around himself. "Shi -Shiranui-san!" He gasped out. "W-What are you doing here?"

"I was going to knock on the door properly. But I saw no lights on and I wanted to make sure if you were already asleep." Genma said, shrugging. He then looked at Iruka and approached him slowly. Iruka stiffened and tried to merge with the wall. "I didn't mean to startle you. Heck, I didn't even expect you to catch me that fast."

"Sorry." Iruka apologized. "I - I -"

Genma traced his face with his hand. "Hush now. Don't worry about it." Iruka could only look at the ground. "Listen, Iruka." Iruka looked up at him. "Don't worry about what people say, okay? I know you feel bad and you're offended by the things that - those idiots seems to be saying around here."

"It's nothing." Iruka said, recalling what happened that day. He stepped away from Genma and sat on the bed. "Don't worry about it. Really, it's nothing. It'll pass."

Genma nodded and placed both his hands on his shoulders. "Just to let you know." Iruka glanced up at him. "I'm right here if you need anything."

Without another word, Genma vanished through the open window, leaving Iruka feeling all warm and tingly like he always did whenever they were together.

XXX

Days flew by in a blur and Iruka pointedly ignored his colleagues. The first few days, they were busy smiling teasingly at him and then they were giggling and pointing, but as the days went by and he continued to ignore them, they began to feel ashamed of themselves and soon stopped all together.

Iruka had bigger fish to fry. He noticed, as days turned to weeks, how Naruto was becoming more distant and less alert and always looking deep in thought. He asked Naruto about it once and got a flushed face and very incoherent answer. Iruka dismissed it as some sort of crush since it was very common in Naruto's age. But since then, as more days passed, he saw very little of the boy and this worried him to no end. But with work on his back all the time and him working double shifts nearly everyday, he got very little time to actually seek the boy out.

He was cooped up in his classroom, grading test papers and yawning every ten seconds or so. Genma was on a mission or so he heard and so he could stay up as long as he liked with no one there to drag him home. Iruka was pleased with this trail of thought, although a small part of him insisted that he liked being dragged home by the Jounin.

Two hours later and it was already one in the morning. Iruka began to clear up his desk and gathered his belongings, quietly exiting the academy building. As he took a detour in the exit, he found a figure walking slowly out of the Hokage's office building, footsteps a bit sluggish and shoulders slumped. Worried, Iruka headed for the figure.

"Are you all right?" He asked and as he got closer, he blinked in surprise. The sound of blood dripping sounded suddenly very loud in his ears. "Shiranui-san!"

Genma looked up from his gaze on the ground, a hand covering his badly bleeding arm, and looked up at Iruka. "Iruka!" He smiled. "How many times have I told you not to stay up so long?"

Iruka nearly dropped the lesson plan book he was holding. He quickly helped Genma, who was on the verge of passing out. "Why didn't you go to the hospital?" Iruka chided him.

"Because it's just a little cut, nothing serious. Nothing that I can't take care of on my own." Genma answered, his ego in the way.

Iruka took him over to his place and disposed of the bloody Jounin turtleneck shirt and flak jacket. He took out his antiseptics, healing balms and bandages and proceeded to clean the wound on Genma's arm. He would wince as he watched Genma's fingers tighten against the couch's fabric to kill the urge to either hiss, cry out or curse in pain. Iruka apologized every time he felt Genma shift his arm away from the antiseptics, a guilty look pasted on his face. Once he cleaned the wound, he wrapped it gently with clean and crisp bandages, the bleeding stopped with a little bit of chakra and his sharp skills with first-aid. Genma was right about the wound not being serious. It wasn't very deep so no nerves or veins got damaged, but it was deep enough to lose a lot of blood. Genma was trying to stay awake as his head drooped down dangerously low and was on the verge of fainting.

Iruka got him some clean clothes and helped him change into them. He then took him to his own room in which he had recently changed the sheets and tucked Genma under the covers. Genma was out like a light in seconds and Iruka merely smiled down at his tired yet beautiful features and left the room, closing the door behind him lightly.

TBC