Everyone's Got Secrets

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Chapter 3:

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Something was biting him. No, stinging him. No…what the hell was it?

Lying on his back, Kakashi opened his blue eye and winced at the early morning sunlight shining across his body. He turned his head away from the window and in the direction of the annoyance, and saw a certain Chuunin hovered over him, hair tied up and body fully clothed—two of Kakashi’s least favorite things. Lightning fast, his left arm shot across his body and caught Iruka’s hand before it could poke him one more time.

Iruka sighed a sigh of disapproval, bending down to place a gentle kiss on his lips, but Kakashi grabbed the other man and pulled him to the bed, rolling over and trapping him beneath his naked body.

“Kakash—“ Iruka tried to scold him, but Kakashi was having none of it, pressing their lips together and kissing him with fervor. Feeling the Chuunin’s arms slide up around his back, Kakashi trailed his kisses down Iruka’s jaw to his highly sensitive neck and shoulder. Iruka turned his head to give him better access, sighing in acquiescence this time, and Kakashi chuckled at how easily the man had given in to his choice of distractions.

He shouldn’t have chuckled out loud.

“Kakashi!” Iruka shouted exasperated, trying to push the Jounin away, “I have to go to the Academy!”

Kakashi grinned without apology. It was too much fun to harass his lover. He kissed him one more time, then rolled back over and let him get up.

Iruka jumped off the bed and pointed at him, “And YOU have to…” Iruka stopped, confused.

Kakashi laughed heartily, shaking his head, “Iie. I have to do nothing!” He grinned. “I’m on vacation until Sakura returns from her internship.”

Iruka dropped his arm, clearly disappointed that he didn’t have to goad Kakashi into meeting his team at least close to when they were supposed to meet. “Oh.”

Kakashi sat up on his elbows, his expression leering at the other man. “Yes, ‘Oh,’ meaning you and I can have breakfast together, and lunch together, and dinner together, and dessert together, and after dinner together, and midnight snack together, and late night bath together, and early morning nibbles together…”

He trailed off, seeing as how he’d successfully caused Iruka to turn completely and utterly red from his words, without having to demonstrate anything with his hands. Iruka crossed his arms, fighting not to smile while blushing in that loveable, deceptively innocent way, and Kakashi grinned even bigger. The Chuunin was totally smitten with him. He wiggled his ass against the sheets with glee.

Iruka waved his comments aside, and leaned over to his dresser, beginning to pack his school things into his knapsack. “So what are you doing today then, Kakashi?”

Kakashi thought about it. “Dunno,” he shrugged. Iruka bit his lip, and then swung his knapsack over his shoulder and came back towards the bed.

“Why don’t you go see Sasuke?” Iruka suggested. Kakashi’s eyes narrowed a fraction.

His lover had said it calmly enough, and it was a reasonable idea…but he wasn’t a Special Jounin for nothing. He could tell that Iruka was concerned about something and was clearly trying to hide it; taking slightly too-deep breaths and tensing in his effort to appear relaxed and to reveal nothing. It was very curious. The words almost sounded like a request instead of a suggestion…and Iruka seldom asked anything of him. Must be something he thought he couldn’t do on his own.

Kakashi chose to shrug casually. “Maybe. We haven’t trained together in a while; might be fun.” Iruka appeared relieved.

“Well, I wouldn’t want you to get bored on your vacation, mister elite-ninja smartey-pants,” the Chuunin smiled, and crawled over to kiss him.

Kakashi kissed him back, but didn’t try any more games, knowing he’d reached the limits of Iruka’s patience that morning. He watched Iruka’s lovely ass—a sight he never got tired of—as he turned to leave the bedroom.

At the doorway, Iruka stopped and looked over his shoulder, “Oh, I have a staff meeting today at lunch, so if you’re thinking of any of your pranks, you better wait until after school or the whole village will know just how big of a pervert you are!”

And then Iruka winked, and left the apartment the way he’d come in, sneaking back to his side of town.

Kakashi settled himself cozily in his bed, a lazy smile on his face, and a grinning Iruka in his thoughts. He pulled the tangled sheets up to his face and buried his nose in it, reveling in the mixed scents of a familiar naked body and the unmistakable musk of great sex. It was going to be a good day.

♦

Kakashi allowed himself ten minutes of perverted thoughts with his face pressed into his bedding before reluctantly getting out of bed.

He stretched and yawned, closing his eye to the early morning light and then disappeared. Four minutes later, exactly, Kakashi reappeared at his front door, clean, fed and dressed, his black mask hiding the lower half of his face, and his forehead protector angled to hide his Sharingan. He hadn’t even broken a sweat. He slipped his sandals on, and then exited his apartment, speeding off again faster than most eyes could follow.

As he darted across the village to his intended destination, he pondered Iruka and what he’d decided to call: “The curious incident of the seemingly casual suggestion that clearly covered up some other more intriguing mystery event that would hereby be fully uncovered before lunchtime.”

Well, the first step in sleuthing—as any good shinobi knew—was reconnaissance. Beneath the mask, Kakashi’s lips curved in a wicked smile of anticipation—it really was going to be a good day.

The Jounin made his way to the affluent Uchiha district, and stopped without a sound in the shadows of the giant, arched gateway. He strained his ears, listening for any signs of Sasuke coming or going, and heard nothing. He slowly made his way between the empty houses at the perimeter, skulking from shadow to shadow toward the manor house Sasuke had chosen to live in.

It was several stories tall, sandwiched between the maze of other houses and the wide lake. It was a strategically sound location; Kakashi knew his student to be logical and calculating about everything he did. It was one of his strengths, and one of the things they had in common, although Sasuke was far more serious and reserved than he was. Kakashi glanced heavenward in a brief prayer of thanks that he’d somehow learned to lighten up.

When he reached the wide open courtyard at the front of the house he vanished, and then reappeared in a crouch near Sasuke’s front door. He masked his chakra like he had the night before, and after making some quick hand seals he cast out a thin, virtually undetectable flare of chakra into the house, scouting for the presence of his surly subordinate. If he wasn’t inside, then Kakashi would search the grounds beyond the lake to see where he was training, and would then join in.

The chakra slowly extended up to the third floor until Kakashi felt a soft pulse, signaling that it had detected a live person. Kakashi drew his brows together—the pulse should have been much, much stronger for someone like Uchiha Sasuke. Either someone else was in the house… or something was definitely wrong with the former number-one rookie. Kakashi decided to take the faster way in.

Gathering chakra in his feet, he sprinted up the side of the manor house to the third floor, gracefully dismounting on the wooden balcony that stretched around all four sides. He sprinted in stealth around to the back of the house, following his chakra thread. He examined the wall and sensed an empty room on the other side, not too far from Sasuke’s presence.

Kakashi squeezed through the small window, dropping down in a crouch in a luxurious master bathroom. He could guess that the single door must open into Sasuke’s bedroom. He pressed his ear to the wood, hearing nothing, although he recognized Sasuke’s presence on the other side. Lifting his hitai-ate, he silently cracked the door and scanned the room with both eyes.

Sasuke’s bedroom was large and airy, taking up nearly the entire third floor of the house. It would also have been sunny, except for the heavy drapes that had been pulled across the windows, navy blue panels with giant Uchiha fans woven in the center. The lighter white and red fibers allowed some light to pass into the room, but not much. The bed was nearly as big as Kakashi’s, and while Kakashi’s favorite activities could make it feel too small at times, Sasuke seemed to be dwarfed by his.

He was buried under several thick, blue blankets, his knees pulled up to his chest, and his head and face covered protectively by one of the many red pillows. Sasuke had left a small triangle of open space for breathing, and Kakashi could make out the thick black lashes of his closed right eye, a pale white cheekbone and the bridge of his nose. It was the one, tiny detail that confirmed the boy was there, otherwise, the lumps of his body could have easily been a tangled bundle of bedding.

Kakashi sensed the steady, slow breathing typical of sleep, but the chakra signature seemed much too weak for a teenager simply taking advantage of a vacation and sleeping in. He examined the rest of the room, eyes passing over an expensively carved armoire, matching antique bookcases and end tables, a minimalist yet trendy red sofa under a trio of windows, books and scrolls lined up in an orderly fashion on every available shelf, a huge, gilded mirror in one corner, and a cabinet with weapons gleaming inside.

Seeing no visible wounds on his student, and no evidence of bandaging or blood anywhere in either the bedroom or bathroom, Kakashi turned back to the sleeping teen and watched in silence while he debated his next actions. There didn’t seem to be any danger, but he didn’t like the feeling of the room, or the tightening of his gut that said Sasuke indeed needed rescuing.

But from what enemy? And what did Iruka have to do with it? It wasn’t adding up.

He knew one thing for sure: Sasuke would not appreciate waking up and finding his sensei crouched behind his bathroom door.

Kakashi quickly devised a strategy. Covering his Sharingan and retracing his steps, the Jounin returned to ground level and stood facing the front door. Although it was extremely out of character for a ninja, and in fact, something he’d personally never done before, anywhere, Kakashi extended an index finger and pressed the doorbell.

He stood patiently, sensing from the flare of chakra that he’d successfully awoken Sasuke. After a few minutes, however, he realized that it wouldn’t be so easy to get him to open the door. Kakashi rang the doorbell again, this time holding it longer, and waited, with no response from inside the house. He sighed, taking out his favorite orange novel, and preparing for a lengthy siege. In his usual carefree stance, eyes glued to the pages before him, he proceeded to ring the doorbell every three seconds.

He felt it when Sasuke peered over the balcony at him, but ignored the heavy sensation of murderous intent pressing down to the top of his head. Reflexes alert as usual, Kakashi easily caught the kunai that had been aimed at his neck with enough time to read the hastily scrawled message, “GO AWAY,” before the note began to smoke. Kakashi flung the kunai over the courtyard wall, avoiding the ensuing explosion and smoke, his eyes never leaving the pages.

He rang the doorbell again.

There was no mistaking the murderous intent now, and it pulsed against Kakashi’s skin as it moved through the house and approached the door. Kakashi put his book away just as the door opened two inches, and Sasuke’s right eye appeared, glaring through the crack.

“Kakashi-sensei,” Sasuke said, voice scratchy and thick from sleep. A tangled lock of black hair slipped forward against his cheek and he shook it back out of sight.

“Yo.” Kakashi gave his most innocent smile, waving his signature wave.

“This is not a good time,” Sasuke didn’t bother to mask his irritation, and continued to glare.

Kakashi waved him away jovially, “Never mind, it’s perfect timing. For practicing chidori.” Kakashi heard the teen grunt from behind the door, and saw his black eye narrow even further.

“No.”

Any polite person would have heard that tone and excused themselves. Any other sensei would have let it go, and returned later to try and cheer him up. Anyone else would have let Sasuke close the door in his face, and chalked it up to teenage hormones, or simply “the arrogance of Uchiha Sasuke.”

Alas, Kakashi was not just anyone.

The elite Jounin stuck his hand out, pushed the door open and marched into the house without one glance at his indignant student. Completely ignoring Sasuke, he took off his sandals in the doorway, glanced back and forth in search of the kitchen, and then hurried to the right.

“Okay, we’ll have some tea first. I’ll get it!” he called over his shoulder from the kitchen, opening cupboards looking for tea and mugs. He set the kettle on to boil, busying himself while Sasuke collected his thoughts—or tried to kill him. Whichever came first.

He felt Sasuke approach the kitchen doorway, leaning his back against the doorjamb with his arms crossed, glaring straight ahead at the opposite wall in disapproval. Kakashi looked at Sasuke’s regal profile, and didn’t much care for what he saw.

Sasuke’s eye was puffy and dark, as if he had tossed and turned most of the night, deprived of sleep. His skin was so blanched it looked translucent, and there was a tinge of green like he was catching a cold. His long-sleeved black shirt was loose and wrinkled and too big, making his lean body seem small and frail. Pathetic. His arms hugged his chest tightly, and his shoulders hunched, ruining the pose of disdain he was famous for.

He looked like shit.

At least from this side—and Kakashi decided one side was enough.

Kakashi poured the hot beverage into two mugs, and set them on a tray. “Shall we sit over there?” He gestured with the tray to the low table and cushions in the room across from the kitchen and stepped forward, indicating that his student should move from the doorway.

“You’re not staying.” Sasuke reached his arm out and took one of the mugs, never turning his face. He blew softly on the surface and took a tiny sip, his right eye shifting to glare at his teacher with loathing.

Kakashi set the tray down on the counter instead, and leaned his hip against the edge, position casual. He picked up the other mug, watching Sasuke and letting the silence stretch between them. Sasuke made no attempts at conversation, which was no real surprise. He stood there defiantly, using a lot of energy trying not to appear as rattled as he was. Kakashi was mildly disappointed when his prize pupil didn’t even attempt to catch him without his mask as he drank a few sips.

The minutes stretched on, Sasuke sipping his tea, and looking no visibly better for it. Kakashi just enjoyed the feel of the mug slowly cooling off between his palms, not bothering to drink any more since Sasuke wasn’t bothering to peek. The teenager spoke first.

“What do you want?” Sasuke’s tight voice held a myriad of emotions—anger, despair, frustration and… hope? What was that last flavor?

“Maaa,” Kakashi began, setting his mug down and crossing his arms. “We don’t have missions for a while, so I thought you’d be excited to train with me one-on-one.” He paused. “You’re not acting like yourself, Sasuke.”

Kakashi turned and gazed out the kitchen window overlooking the courtyard at the front of the house, watching the dark teen through his peripheral vision. He gave Sasuke a chance to respond.

Sasuke sipped his tea, stuffing his left hand into his pocket, and lowering his eyes to the floor. His voice made an effort to be polite, “I don’t want to train today.”

Kakashi stole a quick glance at his student. He sulked, finally managing to appear somewhat pitiful–though he was reallytoo good looking even in this state to do the word justice.

“Do you—“ Kakashi started, but was cut off by Sasuke’s impassioned voice.

“I DON’T WANT TO TALK!”

Kakashi considered his options, the atmosphere taut between them once again. After a few moments, he straightened up, rubbing his hand on the back of his neck and shrugging. He faced Sasuke’s profile.

“Ah. Well, then I’ll just go find Naruto. He’s been begging to learn chidori for years, and he’s got enough chakra control now he might actually…” Kakashi’s voice hitched in his throat.

Sasuke had reacted to the taunt by whipping his head around, his refined features twisted in raw emotions and his black eyes glistening with the threat of tears. He opened his mouth, as if to object, but no sounds came out. Kakashi’s heart squeezed tight at the full force of Sasuke’s anger and pain, but what really shook him was the ugly bruise that discolored most of the left half of his student’s face.

Kakashi realized a second too late that his own face must have registered his shock, even with the mask, for he saw Sasuke’s eyes go wide in fear, and then the teen bolted towards the front door, flinging his half-full tea mug at him.

Kakashi deftly avoided the tea and caught the mug in mid-air, then in three steps had grabbed his student’s left arm and halted his escape. Sasuke twisted his arm out of his sleeve and ducked, bracing with his right arm and kicking out at the Jounin’s legs. Kakashi lifted his knees up to his chest in a swift jump avoiding the kick, and then pulled up sharply on the shirt sleeve gripped tight in his hand.

He jerked Sasuke up from the floor, quickly twisting the slack material of the shirt to bind his arms to his sides, all with his one free hand. Without pause, he dragged the boy over to the sunny living room, Sasuke’s feet dancing over the tatami mats in an effort to remain upright for pride’s sake.

Kakashi shoved him down onto a cushion where he could look over the damaged cheek. Sasuke squirmed at first, but then quieted down, figuring out that he wasn’t likely to escape from the famous Copy-Ninja Kakashi. Kakashi placed the empty tea mug onto the table, pinning his student with a glare.

He turned Sasuke’s chin up into the light, and examined his face. He gently pressed his fingertips to the swollen skin, making Sasuke hiss and wince, the only sounds made as Kakashi evaluated the injury. He spoke clinically as a way of comforting the younger shinobi, keeping his voice even and sure as he explained what he saw.

“The impact is here, at your cheekbone, where the skin is the most swollen and the bruising is the darkest, though the force of the blow was strong enough for it to extend up around your eye, and down along your jaw. The skin hasn’t split, so it wasn’t made from anything as hard as a club or a staff, and the area of bruising is too large for something like a blunt sword hilt. I’d guess it was a human fist based on the patterns of discoloration, and the side of your face that’s injured. Most people are right handed, so a punch from a right handed person would be on your left cheek. It’s a miracle, but you have no broken bones. Does it hurt to eat?” he asked.

He frowned as Sasuke just shrugged.

“When did this happen?”

“Yesterday. Two hours before sunset.” Sasuke was looking up into the ceiling, his face remade into the usual mask of calm except for the odd angle of his chin and neck as Kakashi continued examining him.

“When was the last time you ate, Sasuke?” Kakashi asked.

Sasuke shrugged again. “Maybe noon,” he stated, eyes narrowing in expectation of criticism. Kakashi regarded him coolly, making mental calculations.

“This might feel a bit uncomfortable,” Kakashi warned, shifting his left hand and wrist to cradle the uninjured side of Sasuke’s face.

Kakashi’s right hand moved through one handed seals his student had never seen before, and then he hovered his palm just above the wounded skin. His hand shone brilliant white, and Sasuke flinched from the scorching heat, perhaps reminded of the deadly chidori until Kakashi touched the boy’s face. Sasuke relaxed as the initial heat of the touch faded to soothing, pulsing, healing warmth.

Kakashi monitored closely as the tension left his student’s body, and when he was satisfied he slowly withdrew his chakra and ended the jutsu. He moved his hands to Sasuke’s shirtsleeves and released him. Sasuke slipped his left arm back into the wrinkled sleeve and put a tentative palm up to his injured face.

“That jutsu is only for pain relief, unfortunately,” Kakashi smiled, sheepish. “I never bothered to learn much healing ninjutsu.”

Sasuke was still touching light fingertips to his cheek and opening his jaw, experimenting. “Thanks,” he said quietly, still not meeting his eyes. Kakashi nodded.

“Next, you need to eat something.” The Jounin left his student on the floor, made his way back into the kitchen, and peered into the refrigerator—only to sigh in disgust.

“Sasuke? There’s nothing edible in here!” He called across the house.

“Freezer,” came the reply. Kakashi sighed and opened the freezer, his eyebrows rising at the sight of all the identical take-out containers crammed in there.

“What the hell is all this?” he called back out.

“Curry,” Sasuke replied, no explanation forthcoming.

“Ah.” Kakashi sighed, took two containers out of the freezer, and set them on the counter. He quickly found the rice cooker and set about making lunch, and while his capable hands busied themselves in simple tasks, his mind churned through the events of the morning.

He glanced at the kitchen clock. 9:30 am. Good. He could probably have this whole mystery solved by lunchtime, like he’d intended. Boiling more water for tea, he hummed tunelessly as he organized the facts in his mind. But of the pieces he’d gathered, there was one that just wasn’t connecting to any others:

How was Iruka involved?

♦

Kakashi and Sasuke sat opposite each other at the low table, eating curry and reading books.

Sasuke had opened his ANBU manual, and Kakashi had his nose buried in his Icha-Icha Paradisu novel. Neither of them spoke. Kakashi occasionally looked over at the young man, who was eating without discomfort and appeared genuinely lost in his studies. He hadn’t tried to escape, and he hadn’t tried to throw him out—yet. Things were looking up. Sasuke’s color had even gotten better once some food got into his system; Kakashi reminded himself to talk to him later about varying his diet.

Sasuke’s chopsticks had been lying untouched on his empty dishes for ten minutes before Kakashi felt it was time to get some answers.

“So who did it?”

Sasuke’s shoulders tightened in a cringe. He sighed, forcing his shoulders straight, putting an elbow on the edge of the table and trying to look bored.

“Don’t ask me questions.” He folded his book away.

“So you did it to yourself?” Kakashi prodded, sarcastic.

Sasuke glared, black eyes flashing in annoyance. “Tch.”

“Someone attacked you?” he asked.

Sasuke simply crossed his arms in rebellion, using too much energy to try and keep his face from revealing anything. It was divided almost in half, the bruised skin swirling over the creamy pale skin in a contrasting yin-yang, although both halves radiated anger, frustration and embarrassment equally, no matter the inner struggle.

Kakashi’s gaze never wavered, his blue eye challenging his student to give him an explanation and also warning him not to lie. Sasuke was a strong ninja, but anyone could see that he was in no condition to battle wills with a Special-Jounin. The wound was serious, but not enough to result in the Sasuke sitting before him—there was something far deeper going on, and he’d find out what it was.

After all, he specialized in delving underneath the underneath.

Eventually, Sasuke shifted on his cushion, the anger in his face giving way to something like confusion and sadness, or resignation. “It’s nothing.”

“Oh?” Kakashi questioned, gentle, but still sarcastic.

Sasuke ran a hand through his mussed hair, pushing it out of his eyes. He didn’t move for a while, lost in thought, his eyebrows drawn together in a scowl. Then he sighed, his face anguished as he leaned forward and buried his nose into his elbow, something altogether un-Sasuke like.

His small voice was muffled, “I made a mistake.”

Kakashi quickly hid his shock—to his knowledge, Sasuke had never admitted he’d made a mistake. He’d never had to. Kakashi knew—they were tensai; they didn’t make mistakes! Sasuke was methodical, clever, and extremely skilled at strategy and tactics. There’s no way a ninja in Konoha could have fought him and not only landed a critical blow, but also damage his spirit like this. Sasuke was a mess. It was like his heart was broken—

Masaka! Kakashi’s eye opened impossibly wide. His thoughts whirled, and he was grateful that Sasuke couldn’t see his face at the moment. He couldn’t be right, could he? Had Sasuke initiated something romantic and been rebuffed?

The idea was logical, except that it was Sasuke they were talking about, the long-standing #1 Stud among shinobi teens. Kakashi had always had to put up with the squealing fangirls who interrupted Team Seven’s practices regularly. Every one of them would kill for attention from the Uchiha heir; he would never be rejected from any of them. He knew Sasuke avoided them as often as possible. So had he found a girl he liked?

Kakashi considered the bruises. The injury was a bit too much for a girl to have caused it. Well, not for Sakura maybe, but she was in Suna at present. She had always followed Sasuke around like a protective sibling; Kakashi couldn’t picture her ever hitting him.

He also couldn’t imagine Sasuke chasing Sakura in the first place; he’d never responded to her affection before, at least not beyond reciprocating her friendship. Really, Kakashi couldn’t remember a single girl in the village that Sasuke had ever paid special attention to. He kept to himself when he wasn’t on missions or using his free time to spar with the other guys…

Kakashi smacked his forehead loudly, rolling his eyes at his slow wits. Duh! It must have been a guy!

Sasuke lifted his head and looked at him, no doubt curious at the noise. Less than a second had passed since his student had last spoken, and Kakashi flushed, unnaturally embarrassed from direction his thoughts had taken. Sasuke was gay? Small world. He rubbed his hitai-ate where he’d struck himself.

“Sorry,” he chuckled nervously, “Mosquito.”

Sasuke rolled his eyes, and ran a hand over his unkempt hair again, then crossed his arms and returned to brooding.

Kakashi regarded him and composed himself, brain still analyzing the possibilities. He had never seen Sasuke like this, and he never wanted to see it again. He didn’t know what had happened, exactly, but there had to be a way to fix it–he hated when people precious to him were suffering, and this particular student held a special place in his heart: both of them were orphans, both of them tensai, both of them carried the mysterious red Sharingan. He had to do something.

“I’d like to help,” he said, the offer genuine.

Sasuke shrugged, scowling, “Tch. Doesn’t matter. It’s in the past.”

“My skills aren’t only lethal ones, you know,” the Jounin pointed out. “If I knew what the situation was, I bet I could help.”

Sasuke shook his head, unconvinced. “Not with this.”

“Hn.” Kakashi sat casually, the very image of calm.

If he guessed correctly, Sasuke was battling himself—part of him desperately needing to talk about whatever had happened, and the other part of him too scared, hurt and embarrassed to share it with another person. And if he was correct about the nature of what happened yesterday… well, he could remember his own disastrous forays at that age.

Sasuke was very private, but Kakashi knew that underneath his cool Uchiha exterior ran not only a strong desire to be accepted and acknowledged, but also to protect. He was fiercely loyal to his friends, even if he only had a select few. Kakashi felt proud that Sasuke considered him a friend as well as a mentor.

He reached out one more time, “Tell me.”

Sasuke sighed, turning his head away completely. “I…don’t think I can.” His right cheek flushed from his distress.

“Hmmm.” Kakashi sympathized, adjusting his position on the cushion. He’d just have to give him some time, until Sasuke was ready to get some help. Expecting a long wait, Kakashi was startled when the teen spoke.

“But maybe … I could show you,” Sasuke said quietly, face still averted.

Kakashi blinked at him. Show him? Show him …what?

Kakashi blushed, frozen, schooling his mind away from perverted thoughts. Did Sasuke mean that he’d demonstrate what had happened… with him? Kakashi could honestly admit that he’d never once looked at Sasuke as other than student and friend, and he’d never once thought that maybe Sasuke might look at him as anything more than a mentor. He probably should have guessed that one day this could happen, since he tended to have that kind of effect on others.

He took a deep breath, “Pardon?”

“I’ve…I’ve been thinking about this for a long time…” Sasuke trailed off for a moment, clasping his hands in front of him on the table and fixing his gaze to them. Kakashi held his breath.

Sasuke cleared his throat, “I really think it could work.”

Kakashi blinked faster. Lord, what should he say if Sasuke actually confessed?! What would Iruka say? He laughed in his nervousness, “What could work?”

“The Sharingan.” Sasuke looked up at him, his face calm. Kakashi checked his right cheek—not a hint of blushing.

“Sha…rin…gan?” Kakashi asked, voice a little too loud as he was utterly confused.

Sasuke nodded, “I’ve been wanting to see if I’m right about something the Sharingan can do.”

Kakashi gestured for him to continue, since he was at a loss, and Sasuke explained his theory. His voice became steadier with the undercurrent of excitement; Sasuke always got like this when they were analyzing jutsus or planning a strategy. His bright eyes shone, and his wounded face was forgotten as he opened the topic.

“The Sharingan aids in the detection of genjutsus… but it also can project them. So what if I projected a specific memory through my Sharingan–” he began.

“–And I copied it with mine,” Kakashi finished, leaning forward in interest. “If it worked, we’d have a highly useful way of communicating on missions. Silent. Possibly instant. Unique to the two of us. Very good, Sasuke.”

He beamed at his student. Sasuke’s mouth quirked at one side, his version of a pleased smile.

“Let’s try it,” the Jounin suggested, moving around to Sasuke’s side of the table and sitting cross-legged. “We’ll go slowly.”

Sasuke turned to mirror him, his face almost blank, but his eyebrows were drawn tight. He held up his hand, “Wait.” The teen swallowed, “I…it’s not… well… it might…just…”

Kakashi smiled gently, “Daijobu, Sasuke-kun. You won’t be telling me anything I can repeat.”

Sasuke took a deep breath, his face serious. “Just …don’t be perverted.” He said this with a glare that was so intense, Kakashi didn’t even consider laughing.

Sasuke’s eyes changed from deep black to blood red. When he moved forward, Kakashi reached up to his headband and revealed his Sharingan. They leaned towards each other, their twin Sharingans a few inches apart.

“Ready,” Kakashi said.

Sasuke took another deep breath, closing his eyelids momentarily. When he opened them, Kakashi’s mind was suddenly merged into his student’s memory, a wave of nausea rising in his stomach. He didn’t have a chance to be excited that the jutsu was working, for his brain was instantly flooded with imagery being transmitted from Sasuke of the previous day.

It came slightly jumbled, and the timing jerked in patches, but Kakashi lived it all through Sasuke’s eyes as if it were his own experiences, only on fast-forward. Neither of them could have guessed, however, that Kakashi would feel everything Sasuke felt in the process…

He was in the shadow of a tall tree… Konoha forest… looking at water… the river… He saw someone training… wild blond hair… holding chakra… Naruto… He felt… He felt excited… he watched the other’s body… sweating… tense with effort…the chakra growing and condensing…the Kyuubi seal… his breath quickened… Naruto… so beautiful…SHOCK!… kunai… Naruto was yelling… He walked out into the sun…He spoke…Naruto stretched… his guts clenched in yearning…He took off his shirt… his bare feet in the damp earth…they were fighting!… his body moved so fast…it went too long…muscles tiring… too much… his blood pounded in his ears… He tackled Naruto… Naruto was struggling…whoa!… ripples of pleasure …tummy…He bent his neck, looking…his body tingled…He saw… Kyuubi seal… black, elegant…his heart palpitated… He wanted to kiss it… wanted to feel him…He licked the markings…pleasure!… He tasted the skin…his heart beat faster… his groin ached with need…so hungry… He nibbled at the center… Naruto…so warm… so tasty… He looked up…Naruto’s eyes… so blue, so hungry… like him… he was going mad…Shock!… Naruto moved… on top of him… so hot… He wanted more… Naruto touching… hand in his hair… gripping…so good… Naruto’s hips… grinding… Ah! Yes!…He gasped…Naruto!… Naruto’s eyes…cold…scared…He froze… He was blind… stars… skin on fire…Naruto running… gone… no… still hard… still want him…still want…still need… He was inside a room… shadows… dark…so aroused… not alone…He opened his eyes… his heart tightened…He loved him!… adorable man…lust…bodies entwined… so close…so deep inside him… so good… brown hair… He reached up… it fell loose in his hands…He kissed him… He felt his tongue… his body craved more… He pleaded… Iruka!… his lover thrust… pleasure!…He couldn’t stand it… thrusting… hand on his cock… so good… harder… harder… faster… yes!… YES!… YEEESSSS!

Kakashi’s stomach lurched as he snapped their connection abruptly and fell gasping and choking onto his back, eyes staring at the ceiling. His forehead ached where he’d desperately slammed it against Sasuke’s to end their little experiment. He concentrated on breathing normally, willing his racing heartbeat and thrumming senses to return to normal levels.

He could hear Sasuke’s rapid breathing at floor level as well, and from the angle of the sounds he knew that they were both sprawled on the mats, each of them trying to recover from the memory-merging. When he could breathe quietly again, he raised himself up on his elbows to look at his student.

Sasuke was on his back a few feet away, arms and legs limp where they fell. His eyes were shut tight, his breathing calming down; the only evidence of the head-slam was a tiny trickle of tears at the corner of his left eye. He reached his hand up to brush them away, but no new tears sprouted after that. Kakashi sat up slowly, refraining from comment as his mind quietly analyzed the experience. It had been both exhilarating and terrifying. He reached up and hid his Sharingan beneath his hitai-ate with more than a little relief.

Shortly thereafter, Sasuke also sat up, combing his long fingers through his matted black hair in an attempt to compose himself. They sat quietly in the awkward silence that occurs when two close friends have learned many intimate things about one another in a short space of time. Kakashi was so lost in thought that he actually gave a start when he heard Sasuke’s voice.

“So how long have you been with Iruka-sensei?” He could tell by the tone that Sasuke’s lips had twitched in amusement.

Kakashi flushed deeply, but remained cool and collected as he regarded his student. There wasn’t much sense in trying to hide anything from the boy now.

“Maaa, I suppose we should have a candid discussion, and compare notes on… the Sharingan.” He wiggled his visible eyebrow suggestively.

Sasuke flushed, and stood up. “I’ll make tea.”

Kakashi watched him leave the room in haste, and grinned at his student’s temporary embarrassment. He stood up, straightening the cushions on that side of the table, and then resumed his previous position. Sasuke entered with two steaming cups of tea, and placed them on the table as Kakashi pushed aside their lunch dishes.

Once seated, Sasuke sipped his tea, looking nowhere in particular, his face more relaxed than Kakashi had seen all day. It was curious, since they’d just been through something rather dramatic. But it was an improvement, which was a good thing.

“So,” the Jounin said, ready to compare his own analysis with his student’s, and finally get everything on the table. “We definitely need to practice that jutsu.”

“Hn,” Sasuke gently touched the small, new lump on his forehead, and then brushed his hair back from his face. “Why did your memory overshadow mine?”

“I have a theory,” Kakashi said tentatively, “But we’ll get to that later. I want to talk about Naruto, first.” He saw Sasuke’s brow twitch and his spine stiffen, but in a more normal shyness than before.

“How long have you felt like this?”

This time, Sasuke flushed deeply, a rather unattractive sight in combination with his purple and black bruises. His long lashes fluttered as he blinked twice before answering, “Since you made us climb trees in Wave Country.”

Kakashi gaped in surprise, his eye wide. “Sasuke…that was five, almost six years ago!”

Sasuke crossed his arms, face still flushed. “Your point?”

Kakashi scratched his head, shrugging. “Well, that explains the intensity of your emotions.” He stroked his left cheek through the mask thoughtfully. “Naruto always was a bit slow on the uptake.”

“Tch,” Sasuke muttered darkly, glaring, “Baka.”

“Aa,” Kakashi agreed, “However, he did seem to respond to you favorably.”

His student shrugged, his face draining of color and filling with sadness. “I scared him. He ran away.”

The Uchiha didn’t need to mention about the hard fist connecting with his jaw; they were both thinking of it. Kakashi had now felt it, too, although he understood why Sasuke hadn’t blocked—he’d also felt his student’s intense arousal and emotions.

Kakashi waved his hand, “That’s just Naruto. He reacts before he thinks. You know the kind of power he can command when he feels threatened.” He went on, “Naruto wouldn’t have tried to touch you if he didn’t want to—I saw his eyes. He wanted you, Sasuke.”

Sasuke seemed to think about that, hands reaching for his mug and bringing it to his lips. “I don’t believe it,” Sasuke whispered against the surface of the tea, then sipped.

Kakashi grinned in sadistic mischief. “If I recall, he gave you at least one big reason!”

Sasuke spluttered, tea spraying from his mouth and dripping down his chin. He used his sleeve to dab at it, and set his mug down like it was going to bite him. He glared at his sensei, cheeks reddening again, “Pervert.”

Kakashi laughed, agreeing, “Hai, hai.”

He watched his student glaring at him, clearly thinking about their blond teammate, and he grinned behind the mask. It was almost as much fun to tease Sasuke as it was Iruka. His eyebrows raised up—that’s right! With all the surprises of the day he’d almost missed the connection, but there it was. Now he knew why Iruka had suggested that he check up on Sasuke, and also why he’d been so secretive about it. Iruka clearly knew the whole story, and there could only be one explanation:

The #1 hyperactive loudmouth ninja in Konoha must have told him. He chuckled again.

“Kakashi- sensei,” Sasuke interrupted his thoughts.

Kakashi turned his gaze back to the Uchiha. “Hmmm?”

“You haven’t answered my question,” Sasuke insisted. “Why did I end up in your memory when I was the one who initiated the jutsu?” They both paused, Kakashi looking pensive with one hand tapping his masked face. Sasuke spoke up, “Did I …break into your mind?”

“No, no,” Kakashi shook his head. “I think it’s much simpler than that. You see, it’s just that I’m a bigger pervert than you.” He smiled, seeing Sasuke roll his eyes.

“I’ll explain,” he said to his student, leaning one elbow on the table. “You have great chakra control, Sasuke. You started the jutsu just fine; you picked a specific memory, and were able to transmit it to me with the Sharingan. We’ll have to try again, another time, but I believe that if things hadn’t been complicated, you would’ve been able to stop the jutsu on your own.”

“So what happened?” Sasuke asked, “It’s like I lost control of what was going on, and your memory was suddenly in my head… like it was me instead…” His voice trailed off, no doubt remembering Kakashi’s extreme pleasure, for his cheeks flushed scarlet.

Kakashi nodded, “Yes. It was a total surprise that we could share each other’s feelings…but I think it helps explain what happened. First, I can clarify one thing. You didn’t lose control, Sasuke. I took it.”

“Eh?” Sasuke looked confused. “Why?”

Kakashi spread his hands in innocence, “I didn’t mean to. But like I said, I’m a bigger pervert, so my reaction to your…er…sensations brought to mind a recent memory of my own. So when I began to remember Iruka…I must have inadvertently started streaming the memory to you, as we were connected, at the time.”

“Hmmm,” Sasuke nodded, and rested his uninjured cheek onto his palm, considering.

“Have you… been with a guy before?” Kakashi asked.

Sasuke looked down quickly, reaching for his tea mug, frowning at the contents and then setting it back down on the table. “I only want Naruto,” he said, very softly.

“Aa,” Kakashi nodded sagely. “I thought that might be the case.”

He could have been referring to the many years Sasuke had been pining for his teammate, leaving no room for any other guy. Or he could have been referring to the glaringly obvious fact that the incident at the river had been Sasuke’s first romantic experience of any kind. Or he could have been referring to his own feelings for one Academy teacher, whom he knew was the only man he’d ever love for the rest of his days. All were true.

They sat quietly for a few minutes, each pondering their own thoughts and feelings, the warm sun slanting into the room and bathing them both in soft warmth.

“Iruka-sensei,” Sasuke began, hesitantly. He swallowed, “You love him. I felt it.”

Kakashi nodded, his eye crinkling as he smiled. “Very much.”

“It felt…heavy, almost…” he tried to put it into words. “Like my heart was bursting.”

“Aa,” Kakashi agreed. Then, “Sasuke.” He locked his gaze with the young man, “It started with the same level of feelings that you have for Naruto.” He let that sink in.

Sasuke clasped his hands in front of him, looking very serious. “Kakashi-sensei, how did you get Iruka to be with you?”

Kakashi barked a laugh, causing the teen to jump in surprise. He quickly reined it back down to a chuckle, running a half-gloved hand through his silver hair. Which inept act of courtship should he tell him? The notes and drawings he slipped in with his mission reports? The sneaking and stalking? The first date story?

“Maaa, Sasuke. Naruto is not the same as Iruka. You will have to find out for yourself what it takes to win the heart of your precious person.”

Sasuke looked bleak. “It’s impossible. Naruto won’t—“

“–Naruto wouldn’t give up!” Kakashi interrupted, voice commanding. “Naruto would know the worth of his precious person, and would give everything he had—even his life—to protect that person’s happiness and make their dreams come true. He is a Konoha ninja!”

Sasuke’s face hardened in resolve, and Kakashi saw him stand up, resolute, and turn to leave the house in search of his teammate. Kakashi quickly rushed in front of him, barring his path. ‘Oh, the passions of teenagers!’

“Chotto, Sasuke–I don’t think now is the best time…”

“Naruto…I …” Sasuke stammered.

“Daijobu, Sasuke,” Kakashi soothed, steering him back to the living room. “Better wait for your bruises to heal somewhat.”

Sasuke plopped down in his seat, scowling. “Hn. So I guess I’m stuck here.”

Kakashi shook his head, “Not for long. You’re strong, and you’ll heal quickly.” Sasuke shrugged. “How about I come back tomorrow and we’ll train? We have a new option to choose from now!” Kakashi grinned.

Sasuke’s mouth quirked, even though he was trying to stop it, and Kakashi swore he heard a small chuckle as he nodded. The Jounin stood and turned to go, when he heard Sasuke’s best taunting voice.

“I never took you for an uke, Kakashi-sensei.”

This is exactly why he hadn’t sworn Sasuke to silence—he knew the Uchiha would keep it to himself only so that he could hold it over his sensei every chance he got.

Kakashi didn’t miss a beat. He turned smoothly, flashing his signature wave, and grinned. Sasuke had nothing to complain about, having experienced the astounding pleasure in the memory of him and his lover. He couldn’t deny it—Umino Iruka was very, very good. So good, that Kakashi was determined to have him for lunch!

Glancing at his watch, Kakashi darted out of the Uchiha district and made his way into the heart of Konoha. He was right on schedule.

♦

“Arigatou!” Kakashi thanked the produce stand worker, taking his receipt and the small paper bag with his special purchase.

He waved, his face a wide grin beneath the mask, and then took off through the busy streets in the direction of the academy. Kakashi leaped into the dense branches of his favorite Iruka-spying tree, the one that allowed him to see the Chuunin’s classroom with a perfect view of his desk. Iruka wasn’t there, however. Kakashi could see the man a few hundred yards away, overseeing about twenty young ninjas as they tried desperately to hit the center of the targets set up for shuriken practice. One or two students did fairly well, but most were having a hard time hitting the targets, much less the center of the targets.

Kakashi loved watching Iruka in action as he patiently moved from child to child, correcting their grips, or helping with their follow-through. His heart swelled—Iruka really was a much better sensei than him. He couldn’t imagine the energy and planning it took to shape such young, new minds, and he was grateful that his Genin team had had their foundation built by Iruka and not some other Chuunin. It made his own struggles as a teacher look like a picnic when he thought of what a whole class full of beginners must be like.

Kakashi took advantage of Iruka’s preoccupation to complete step one of his master plan.

He descended the tree, and darted over to the building, deftly climbing up to Iruka’s window and entering the empty classroom. He silently approached the desk, and opened the bottom drawer where he believed Iruka kept his lunch squirreled away. He slipped the fabric-wrapped bento out of the drawer, and carefully tucked it under his arm as he made his way unnoticed out of the building and back into the tall tree.

For a few more delicious minutes, he watched his lover in action, and then Iruka must have announced it was lunchtime for all twenty kids cheered and scrambled back into the school. Kakashi saw them swarm into the classroom, and then scuttle back out with their lunches, Iruka wading through them without being knocked over in their excitement. His face was grinning, and Kakashi didn’t blame him. Kids could be really cute sometimes.

Iruka straightened some things on his desk, then went to the long blackboard and began to erase it in preparation for the afternoon. Kakashi shamelessly enjoyed the gentle sway of Iruka’s hips as his arm swept the eraser from side to side. Iruka finished just as another Chuunin appeared in the doorway. Kakashi watched as they conversed, and then Iruka leaned over to his bottom desk drawer.

The Jounin almost felt bad at his little game, seeing Iruka’s puzzlement and then irritation at his lunch being gone. He looked around the other desks, finding no students to interrogate, and no signs of any monkey-business. The other Chuunin helped him search, Iruka going into the coat closet and coming back out empty-handed. His face grim, looking at his watch, Iruka halted the search with an annoyed gesture, and the two teachers left the room.

Kakashi whispered an apology from his perch in the trees, taking out the “stolen” bento and untying the knot of the fabric covering. He reached into his grocery bag, and removed his special purchase, using the fabric to tie it securely atop the bento. Parts of it stuck out absurdly, but it looked exactly as Kakashi was hoping, and he balanced it for a moment in a nearby tuft of leaves, reaching into a pocket of his vest and removing a small message scroll. He scribbled his little note, rolled the scroll back up, and returned it to his pocket.

Kakashi hopped down from the tree, Iruka’s lunch tucked under his elbow as out of sight as he could make it, and then walked boldly into the Academy building. He made his way past the classrooms on the first floor, and turned down the faculty hallway, coming to the only room with shinobi inside it. This had to be Iruka’s staff meeting. He paused at the door, listening to the voices inside, and then knocked. A man’s voice called for him to enter, and Kakashi slid open the door, stepping into the room.

There were about twelve Chuunin teachers there, all sitting around a long rectangular table. Kakashi glanced over them quickly, noting the surprise on several faces. He smiled beneath his mask, amused. It wasn’t every day Copy-Ninja Kakashi turned up at a staff meeting.

Kakashi cleared his throat. “Is Iruka-sensei here? I have a message from Hokage-sama.” He reached into his pocket, withdrawing the small message scroll and holding it out on his palm.

“Here,” Iruka stood, and made his way over to the Jounin, everything in his demeanor cool and professional. Kakashi fought not to grin at his lover—it was always like this when they were in public, the very fact that they were a secret couple making them want to do inappropriately intimate things to each other all the more.

He felt butterflies in his stomach just looking at Iruka as he crossed the room to him, knowing eleven other adults were watching. Iruka could convincingly pretend they were only acquaintances, his words and voice and body betraying nothing, but Kakashi could see the truth in his eyes. Iruka’s brown eyes glistened with his desire like the richness of brownie mix batter, and if Kakashi hadn’t been through years of ANBU training he would have closed the distance in an instant and ridden him in the center of the conference table despite their audience.

Instead, he kept calm and collected, grateful that he only had one eye that would show his true feelings to the only man who could interpret them.

Iruka stopped in front of him and took the scroll, his fingertips brushing across the exposed skin of Kakashi’s hand. He opened it and read the Ninja shorthand message.

I would like to have you for dinner tonight; your place at 6? –Kakashi

Iruka closed his eyes a moment, and Kakashi swore he he saw his lover’s body betraying the slightest of shivers before they opened again.

“Please tell Hokage-sama that I will not delay.” Iruka nodded, handing back the scroll, and turning to return to his place.

“Chotto, Iruka-sensei,” Kakashi said, halting the younger man in his retreat. “I went to your classroom to deliver the message first, and I think you may have been looking for this.” He held his hands out, offering Iruka his lunch, complete with an additional present.

There, tied to the bento with fabric, was the most enormous banana he’d ever seen—it hooked obscenely through the knot, at least three inches thick in diameter and over thirteen inches of suggestive curve from jutting tip to hardy stem. Iruka gaped, then quickly composed himself, snatching the package out of Kakashi’s hands.

“One of your admirers must have hidden it as a prank,” Kakashi said evenly, unable to resist the urge to tease, since he was resisting all other urges so splendidly.

“Thanks,” Iruka said quickly, turning and retreating to his place at the table. The tips of his ears were red, Kakashi noticed.

Kakashi excused himself, closing the door behind him, and strolling out of the Academy and into the beautiful summer sun. He grinned, brain already at work on the rest of the evening’s entertainment, sauntering along the busy streets with only perversion on the brain.

It was turning out to be a very good day.

♦

[to be continued…