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Chapter 3

Idly Iruka sat on the sill of his bedroom window; the prized katana resting upon his lap while one finger lightly traced the carved rune he remembered as Strength. The sun had only just broken across the horizon with the teacher having had a restless night's sleep; mind set on the past. Iruka realized he had never thought about the horrid events until last night when he was questioned by Kakashi and almost having to explain the sleek weapon in his possession. It would have been a crime to do so...after all, he promised secrecy. Dark eyes turned downward to focus on the silver etched symbol.

"Seems all I ever need lately is strength."

Iruka had to send a message out sooner or later to give warning he would not be teaching today and therefore slid off his perch on the window to take up a scroll and the clipboard with the day's schedule. With a few experienced words and some chakra aid Iruka had the items zipping their way to the school with but a note of Iruka's planned absence.

"Cutting class now?"

With a startled yelp the brunette shinobi leapt back, his feet getting tangled up within the blankets he had not yet put to rights on his bed, ultimately falling yet again onto his bum. What was once an empty frame now held a crouched Kakashi, the orange Icha Icha Paradise book held closed in one hand.

All he could do was groan at the pain from his bottom, wincing as he got up and gently rubbing the sore spot. When Iruka heard a snicker he glared at the Team 7 teacher who had taken up Iruka's earlier spot, legs rocking faintly a inch or two above the floor and the perverse book flipped open somewhere near the middle.

"What do you mean cutting class? Aren't you late for your own with Naruto and the others?"

"First, you're out at late night hours and now you're sending off a note for a substitute? What is becoming of you Iruka-sensei?" Not once had Kakashi looked up from his reading, actually flipping the page once the small...lecture?...was finished.

Frowning Iruka turned his back on the Jounin to pick up the bed sheets, now having been smothered all over the floor, and heading off to the laundry hamper before hitting the linen closet. Silently Iruka was beginning to wonder if he was turning into his own housewife, at the moment completely forgetting Kakashi was still in the room.

As if on a slow moving slide show the silver-haired shinobi's eye clicked over to focus on the object laying at the floor some scant inches from where the dolphin had stumbled about. The Icha Icha Paradise was snapped closed while Kakashi slid off the wooden frame to investigate. Having come closer, his theory that the weapon was indeed Iruka's had been confirmed setting Kakashi's lip in a thin line.

Iruka had returned with blanket filled arms and one pillowcase folded atop his head, kept in place by his forehead protector and his spiked pony-tail.

"Ah, Kakashi-sensei, shouldn't you be leaving now? Making your students wait surely isn't the best approach for teaching."

"Neither is lying."

Held within one gloved hand at eye-level was Iruka's katana and anyone with half a brain could see the angered storm in Kakashi's open eye. Iruka's gaze went from sword to ninja before he looked away from both, setting his mind back to the sheets he had retrieved. Silently the teacher walked to his bed and began unfolding the blankets to finish making up the bed. Just as he went for the bared pillow his wrist was caught in mid-reach.

"I thought you said you were returning it."

Iruka tried to jerk his wrist free but the grip was firm and he wouldn't go into drastic measures just to have the appendage released. "It was late, I decided to wait until today."

"Why do you keep lying to me?"

It was only a fraction but Kakashi caught the faint widening of the dolphin's eyes, letting his own remain stoic as the dark orbs were trained upon him. "I'm not lying. Now, I have things to do so could you please let go of me?"

Kakashi slowly let his hold on Iruka's wrist go. His fellow shinobi pointedly going back to his chores though a brush of pink had settled upon the tanned cheeks, either from the fact Kakashi had seen through the false act or embarrassment because Iruka hadn't been as good at lying as he thought.

"We're not done with this conversation."

"That's funny, I thought we were when I implied for you to leave." The harsh tone in Iruka's voice caught Kakashi off-guard, apparently telling him he was delving into something the dolphin teacher would rather not be pried open. As the silence settled again the silver-haired instructor turned away to leave back through the window, only pausing as he was teetering from the edge of the frame.

"I will find everything about you, Iruka. Count on it."

Iruka's head snapped upwards but all he could see was the open sky through the window. A full blush had risen to his face at Kakashi's voice, a silent hush that held...something that made a shiver race up and down Iruka's spine. It was only a short while later the guilt flooded him at sounding so cruel, he couldn't remember the last time he had ever snapped at someone so coldly. The feeling made him sick and he knew it wouldn't get better if he didn't apologize for his behavior, Kakashi didn't know any better after all.