Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Iruka's obsession ❯ Part 9 ( Chapter 9 )

 

“…and well…I thought you should …you know…train a little and get stronger, and he agreed. He said that if you were weak, you would get killed in action, so he'd evaluate your abilities…”

 

Which had been done. “I'm heading up a follow-up investigation, about the Mist-nin attack. If you come with me and show me exactly how it took place…”

 

“…and he even agreed to point out your weak points…”

 

No kidding. “That trap you cast with your chakra…how do you undo it?” followed by the incident in the basement where Kakashi had driven his point home by fixing him to a box. “It's important to know how to undo a trap as well as to set it up.”

 

And then, Kakashi had said…“Be strong, Iruka-sensei; be strong enough to stay alive.” He had said it because of a promise he had made to his student. This in a way made sense, Iruka realized. At their first time eating out, Iruka remembered asking how Naruto was and Kakashi had answered him by saying, “There are people who want you to stay alive, Iruka-sensei.”

 

He had meant Naruto, not himself, Iruka realized with a sinking feeling. Oh…god…but at least Kakashi had asked him out to eat…

 

“…and gave him some of my savings to take you out for ramen from time to time…'cause that's what we usually do and…”

 

“You gave him money to take me out?” Iruka said carefully.

 

“Kakashi-sensei never pays for anything he can get for free,” Naruot scoffed. “He said he'd consider it a mission, and I had to pay for his service -and I did.”

 

Iruka remembered Kakashi fishing out a couple of notes and dropping them onto the table casually…Naruto's money…oh…

 

“I…uh…forgot to tell you about it before I left the village,” Naruto finished sheepishly. “You must think I'm an idiot.”

 

“No,” said Iruka, swallowing past the lump in his throat. “I'm the idiot, Naruto ….not you.”

 

Hatake Kakashi had done exactly what his genin student had paid him to do, taken care of his idiot teacher while out of town. Some of his methods might have been unorthodox, like distracting him while using his sexy-no-jutsu and then letting him get caught in his own trap, but as he knew, Kakashi's teaching methods had always been exceptional. And Iruka had misinterpreted his intentions. Driven by his own crush on the older man, he had let him self be swayed; by hope, by his friends' words, by Shikamaru's advice…into thinking that he had a chance with Kakashi.

 

“Do you like me? Is that why you're acting like this with me?”

 

“Uh. I…yeah…that's it…I mean, that's why I'm shadowing you.”

 

Thinking back, it had not been the most convincing statement --Iruka had just wanted to be convinced. Then he'd thrown himself at Kakashi like some slut. And as Raidou had said, Kakashi lied as easily as he breathed.

 

“And I think I deserve a kiss.” Iruka wanted to die of humiliation. “We're alone…if you want to kiss me…” He was sure he was going to curl into a ball and hide under a table until all of it was over. And Kakashi had just taken what Iruka had given-- no one ever refused anything given for free, and Iruka had given like a bitch in heat.

 

“Iruka-sensei…are you all right, you look kind of…” Naruto looked at him worriedly. “…pale.”

 

“I …uh --just forgot to file a report,” he said getting to feet a tad unsteadily. The stool he was sitting on tilted to one side, and Naruto caught it before it could hit the ground. “I'll be right back…why don't you go to my place and wait there. This shouldn't take long.”

 

“Maybe I can come alone…”

 

“This is …top secret, Naruto,” Iruka squeezed out woodenly. “You go ahead without me.”

 

He did not wait for an answer but walked as if in a dream towards the jounin quarters. He kept his mind as blank as possible as he moved his feet steadily forward. He was not going to think, he was not going to think. But when he reached the jounin sector, Iruka realized he did not even know where Kakashi lived.

 

By status, jounin quarters were more spacious than chuunin quarters. The apartments were larger with even the bachelor apartments having two bedrooms, and the married jounin could apply for houses in the civilian sector. Iruka stood in front of the collection of buildings, wondering which one belonged to the Copy-nin. He hesitated then stepped in, feeling his heart hammering in his chest.

 

“Iruka-sensei.” A deep voice behind him had him turning around, almost losing his footing. He blushed at his blunder, worry making him clumsy.

 

“Ibiki-san,” he said looking at the man and wondering how anyone could say he was only a couple of years older than Iruka. Then again, Kakashi was only a year older than him, and he never acted his age. “I was wondering if you could point me to Kakashi-san's apartment,” he said hesitantly, looking at his feet.

 

“It's on the ground floor of the third building,” Ibiki replied, pointing. “Is something wrong, sensei? You look a little disturbed.” The man was extremely perceptive; he knew when a person was lying simply by looking at his eyes.

 

Iruka wordlessly shook his head and started towards Kakashi's apartment, without even bothering to thank Ibiki. Halfway there, he turned around and found Ibiki staring back at him with a frown. He bit his lower lip, gave an awkward bow, which probably did nothing to convince the interrogator that Iruka was not about to crack, and then half ran towards his destination.

 

The ground floor apartment that belonged to Kakashi had the sort of neglected look of a house where the owner does not spend too much time. He looked at the welcome mat in the front and noted the sandals there - two pairs--and hesitated. Perhaps Kakashi had a visitor, which meant it was not the best time to confront the man, but Iruka knew he could not wait until the following day. He couldn't stand the humiliating feeling inside him for another day. He lifted his hand and knocked loudly on the door, his knuckles getting scratched on the flakes of wood and peeling paint.

 

Then he waited for a minute or so, listening to the sound of trotting feet on hard wooden floor -dogs, Iruka assumed--and then the sound of someone unlocking the door. There was a further pause, and finally the door swung open halfway and Kakashi appeared at the doorway, his feet bare, dressed in casual black pants, long-sleeved t-shirt and a hastily knotted scarf over the lower half of his face. He still had his hitai-ate on but the rest of his attire screamed relaxed and at home.

 

They regarded each other for a moment, Kakashi looking slightly startled. “Iruka,” Kakashi said at last, one hand holding the door half open, the other on the doorjamb.

 

Iruka waited a little to see if Kakashi would invite him in or say something to ease his discomfort, but when nothing more was forthcoming he took a deep breath and blurted out, “I saw Naruto today.”

 

Kakashi stepped forward and closed the door behind him.

 

“I…,” Iruka started shakily. “I wanted to talk to you.”

 

Kakashi blinked a little then nodded when he realized Iruka wasn't exactly feeling verbal. “You told me you were going to meet him, today” he said finally.

 

“He told me that …he …requested you to take care of me,” Iruka said slowly, trying to form the words past his dry lips.

 

“He did,” Kakashi said equally slowly. “But…I thought you already knew about it.”

 

“I didn't,” Iruka said in a low voice. “He forgot to tell me before he went away.” He gave a bark of a laugh. “That's Naruto for you.” He looked at Kakashi and tried to from another sentence. “So…you weren't really interested in me in that way…uh?”

 

“I think you're nice,” Kakashi said after a long pause.

 

“But you didn't follow me or ask about me because you cared for me, did you?” Iruka asked, feeling a little hysterical. “You took me out to dinner because Naruto paid you, didn't you?” His voice was starting go up in pitch but he did not care. “You just…kissed me and groped me because I…”

 

“You wanted it,” Kakashi said bluntly. “I was just doing what I was asked to do. You wanted me to kiss you, you wanted me to fuck you. Don't act as if I forced myself on you.”

 

“I know,” Iruka said through his tears. “But just tell me…did you really care for me? If Naruto had not asked …would you have even looked at me?”

 

Kakashi took a deep breath and looked away into the distance over Iruka's shoulder. Then he looked down at the chuunin who was looking at him imploringly and sighed. “No.”

 

“Oh.” Iruka was not sure he knew what to say.

 

“Sensei.” So it was back to that now. “You are a nice person…and you…you…”

 

“It's all right,” Iruka gave a shaky, self-deprecating laugh. “For a moment there, I thought I caught the attention of the great copy-nin in a nice way. I'm sorry I…”

 

“I thought you knew Naruto asked me to look you up from time to time,” Kakashi said, sounding apologetic. “And you did ask me to…”

 

“I know,” Iruka said looking down.

 

“It wasn't as if you haven't fucked anyone before,” Kakashi said pointedly.

 

“I haven't,” Iruka said softly. “I thought I said that in the dojo today…”

 

“I was under the impression you meant you've never had sex on the dojo floor,” Kakashi said, then before Iruka could talk continued. “You're a ninja and you're twenty-five. You can't be a virgin. That's…that's….what were you saving yourself for?”

 

“Apparently not for you,” Iruka ground out.

 

“You wanted it,” Kakashi said a little harshly. “You threw yourself at me.”

 

“I didn't know you were getting paid to…fuck me,” Iruka shouted.

 

“I wasn't,” Kakashi shouted back. “That was a bonus for a lousy job.”

 

Iruka felt as if someone had sucked the air out his lungs. Oh…god… He wanted to cry, scream, shout. He straightened painfully and managed a grimace which was meant to be a smile. “I'm sorry…”

 

The door which Kakashi was standing in front of jerked open. At first Iruka thought that Kakashi had opened it to go inside; then he realized that someone from the inside had opened the door. He had always observed that ninja looked different in civilian clothing. They looked younger without their forehead protectors. They looked like total strangers without their shirts.

 

It took Iruka three seconds to realize that the person who was standing in Kakashi's door way, minus his shirt, was Might Gai. Iruka could see things adding up; two sets of sandals in the doorway, the way Kakashi had not let Iruka into the apartment, the way Kakashi had a half-tied scarf over his face. That meant he had not been wearing the scarf over his face when he had been inside, which in turn meant Gai was privy to Kakashi's face-something he had not let Iruka see.

 

Iruka took a step back.

 

“IRUKA-SENSEI!” Gai sounded extremely pleased to see him. “I was wondering who was occupying my rival's attention…”

 

“I'm just leaving,” Iruka said, jerkily taking another step back.

 

“You don't have to,” Gai said. Iruka wanted Kakashi to say that line but he did not.

 

“I…I….have Naruto waiting for me back at home,” Iruka forced out, taking another step back.

 

“How is that Vision of Youth and Vigor. I swear that Naruto has more stamina than my own Cute Lee, but the Power of…”

 

“He's fine,” Iruka stated, then took another step back. “I'm sorry to disturb you.”

 

“Iruka-sensei,” Kakashi said quietly and Iruka looked up—hopefully. “My mission preparations are complete—I'll be leaving first thing tomorrow morning. I will not be seeing you for sometime.”

 

So what is Gai doing there, Iruka wondered. Pre-mission sex.

 

“Kakashi,” Gai said reprimanded. “Why don't you invite sensei for a cup of tea…” Gai looked at Iruka as he spoke, and his eyes were gentle.

 

Iruka turned and fled, giving up all pretence of moving away gracefully. He knew Gai must have overheard the conversation between him and Kakashi, and the last thing he needed was pity.

 

Not from the person Kakashi was fucking.

 

A/N-- yeah, yeah…feel free to kill me.

 

I would also appreciate some comments. Thank you for all those who reviewed.