A/N:
YAY! Chapter 3 up. It's rated T for... well, see title, and there are no spoilers.
Thank you all for your reviews and please keep going, I'm happy to read them all.
Nayru

The Right Way

by nayru-kleinefee


Chapter 3 – Ramen Fantasies

“You’re late, boss!”, Pakkun yelled.

“I know!”, Kakashi answered without slowing his pace through the crowded streets.

“Then why don’t you hurry up?”

“What do you think I’m doing here?”, his master hissed back, annoyed. “You’re the slow one of us, with your short, crooked legs.”

“Wha- What? Short and crooked?! My legs are perfect!”

“Sure. If you want to waddle through life.”

“WADDLE?!”, Pakkun shouted indignantly.

“Waddle”, Kakashi confirmed.

“I don’t waddle! And besides, I’m not the one of us who had to stand in front of the mirror for hours and- Hey! Be careful, lady! Those high-heels are dangerous!” The dog turned his head in his run and glared back at a pair of legs, then bumped against another one in front of him. “Ouch!”

“This doesn’t work.” Kakashi stopped, turned around and glanced down at his dog. “I’m going to carry you over the roofs. In this part of the town they’re too far apart for you to jump”, he announced and bent down. Because of your short, crooked legs.

“No way, boss!”, Pakkun growled indignantly and took a step back and out of reach. “What if somebody sees us?”

“Then they see me carrying one of my nin-dogs. Where’s the problem?” The Copy-nin sighed, straightened up again and shook his head. Dogs.

“I’ll so not be seen being carried by anybody!”

“Why not?”

“Would you like everybody to know somebody carried you around? For example this green, loud Gai-person?”

“That’s different”, Kakashi told him. And no pictures, Hatake! You definitely don’t want to imagine THAT!

“Why?”

“Because we’re both humans. And male. And he’s Gai.”

“Where’s the difference? I’m male, too!”

“But you’re a dog. People carry their dogs around all the time.”

“They carry their pet-dogs”, Pakkun corrected, looking disgusted. “I’m a nin-dog!”

“Now, really, Pakkun! It’s fun when you do this ‘I’m a nin-dog, have respect’-thing to other people, but right now-”

“It’s different! I’m not a pet! I’m your colleague, so to say! You wouldn’t carry one of your fellow human shinobi around either!”

“I would carry Iruka.” Kakashi sighed. “Whenever he’d let me.” A dreamy smile formed itself under his mask, and the Copy-nin stared in blissful imagination at something only he could see. And he would lay his arms around my neck… and rest his head against my chest…

“Boss?”

“Hmm?” And then he’d look up at me and smile… and I’d bend my head down to his face… and he’d pull down my mask and tilt his head and then finally ki-

“Here are people, you know…”

“What? Oh!” Kakashi felt himself blush, thankfully hidden under his mask, and took a quick look around, but nobody seemed to have noticed his odd behaviour. Or taken it for one of his usual odd behaviours.

“So, can we go now?”, Pakkun asked. “We’re really late by now.”

“Let me carry you and we’ll be there in no time.”

“I told you, boss: Me no pet, me no carry.”

“Pakkun…”, Kakashi growled. That dog’s driving me crazy! I should just leave him here and go to Iruka alone and just hope I don’t screw up. He shook his head. Yeah, sure… How likely is that?

“No way, boss.” The pug shook his head stubbornly.

Kakashi sighed, then decided to play his trump card. “They have beef ramen.”

“No wa-” A moment of silence, then a suspicious look. “Beef ramen?“

“Yes. With lots of meat, I heard.”

“Oh.” Suspicion and greed fought visibly on Pakkun’s face.

“M-hm. Almost as much meat as noodles, somebody told me.” The Copy-nin nodded and suppressed a smile, knowing the little dog would see it in spite of the mask. Too bad I know your weak spots, puggy.

“Then… then…” Pakkun frowned, seeming uncertain, but his master saw that greed had already won over suspicion. Through knockout. First round.

“Just see it as… giving a lift”, Kakashi offered. It wouldn’t make any difference, but it sounds better than ‘carrying’, hu?

“A lift?” The frown on the little pug’s face deepened, then: “Sounds fair to me…”

“Perfect.” His master bent down, all but grabbed the nin-dog and was on the roofs in no time, heading for the Ichiraku’s.

“If you tell, you’re dead”, Pakkun threatened.

“I’m terrified. Want to gnaw me to death?” Kakashi chuckled.

“I could tell your favourite Chuunin what we’ve been doing every day for the last two months, ever since you saw him pick up that loud blond boy from your first training session”, Pakkun gave back lightly.

“You wouldn’t!” The Copy-nin stopped dead in the middle of a rooftop and glared at the dog in his arm. “Don’t you dare!”, he hissed furiously.

“Hey, hey! Easy, boss”, the nin-dog tried to placate him hastily. “I didn’t think about it, I’m sorry.”

“Better be”, Kakashi hissed, then went for the ramen place again.

“Boss?”, Pakkun asked after some time of uncomfortable silence. “I’m really sorry, boss. And I would never do that.”

“It would hurt Iruka”, his master only gave back. “I don’t want him to get hurt.” Least of all because of me.

“I’m sorry, boss”, the dog repeated, sounding miserably.

“It’s okay. I know you didn’t mean it.” And I know it was wrong to sta- do stealth tr- Kakashi sighed. To stalk him.

“Thanks, boss.”

“Look, there we are already.” Kakashi jumped down from the roof to the street near the Ichiraku’s and set the nin-dog down to the ground before him carefully. “How late are we?”, he asked when he straightened up.

Pakkun looked around the streets in search for a clock. “Five minutes, boss. That’s on time for you.” He grinned.

“I hope Iruka won’t be angry at me.” The Copy-nin scratched his head. “He’s always very punctual.”

“We’ll see.” The nin-dog shrugged, then turned and approached the ramen place, Kakashi on his heels.

“Good evening, Iruka-sensei”, he greeted the Chuunin when they arrived. “Hello, Naruto.” He took a seat on the counter next to Iruka on the Chuunin’s side not occupied by Naruto, then lifted Pakkun up to sit on the counter.

“Good evening, Kakashi-sensei. Good evening, Pakkun”, Iruka greeted back and smiled brightly at them. “You’re almost on time. I’m impressed.”

“The boss couldn’t wait to see you again, Iruka-sensei”, Pakkun told him, grinning.

PAKKUN!

“Oh.” The Chuunin blushed. “That’s- that’s-”

“HEY!”, Naruto yelled suddenly and lifted his head from the now empty bowl of ramen he’d previously been absorbed in. “What’s Bakashi-sensei doing here?”

“‘Bakashi-sensei’?” Iruka’s eyes went wide in shock. “Naruto! You can’t talk like that about your sensei!”

“Ba- Ba- Bakashi”, Pakkun coughed, suppressing a laugh. “Bakashi!”

“Pakkun…”, Kakashi growled. This is so embarrassing! And all in front of Iruka! He will laugh about me now and then he will-

“Pakkun!”, Iruka shouted indignantly, thus surprising the Copy-nin immensely. “How can you laugh about that? It’s not funny, it’s… it’s…” He broke off, failing in his search for words, then turned towards Kakashi and blushed brightly. “I’m so sorry, Kakashi-sensei”, he mumbled.

“Maa, it’s alright, Iruka-sensei”, Kakashi reassured him while he inwardly enjoyed the attention and care from the Chuunin. “There’s nothing you would have to apologise for.” And I’ll make sure Naruto pays for it double tomorrow.

“He’s right, Iruka-sensei”, Naruto told him. “It’s not your fault he’s such a lazy baka, you know.”

Maybe more than double.

“Naruto!” Iruka blushed even more, then he turned around to glare at his former student. “I don’t want to hear something like that from you ever again, hear me?”, he growled, anger darkening his voice. “And you will apologise for your behaviour. Now!”

“But he really is always lazy, Iruka-sensei”, Naruto whined. “And if you think ‘Bakashi-sensei’ is bad, then you should hear the names Sasuke’s calling him!”

Then you’ll pay double and Sasuke triple tomorrow. I’m sure I can think of something to make your day unforgettable. Kakashi glared at his student before he looked at the flushed and enraged Chuunin beside him. Although this sight is definitely worth being called a baka…

“Naruto…”, Iruka said calmly, his face red from anger. “You will apologise NOW!”

Kakashi stared at the Chuunin, captivated and enraptured. Wow, he’s unbelievably sexy when he’s angry. And he isn’t even angry at me, that’s perfect. I wish I could use my Sharingan on him now to memorize this sight… but with the luck I usually have, I’m almost totally sure that somebody will notice it and ask questions… poor me…

“‘m orry”, Naruto mumbled, but when the Jounin reluctantly forced his eyes away from Iruka for a second, he saw his student stare down at his bowl of ramen with a look that clearly said, ‘I only do this because otherwise Iruka-sensei won’t buy me any more ramen’.

“I don’t think Kakashi-sensei could hear you”, Iruka told him, still glaring.

Kakashi squirmed in his seat to get a better look. Maybe if I lift my hitai-ate just a little bit and only take a peek at him, then-

“I said, ‘I’m sorry’”, the blond boy repeated and finally looked up at his former and actual sensei.

Ah, damn! Too late now…

Iruka sighed, then turned around to face Kakashi. “I’m really sorry, Kakashi-sensei”, he said again. “I don’t know what he’s thinking sometimes…”

“It’s alright, Iruka-sensei”, the Copy-nin reassured him. “It’s not your fault. And I’ll make sure tomorrow that Naruto and Sasuke learn their lesson.” He flinched a little as the last sentence left his mouth against his will. Oh no! Now Iruka will get angry at me for being mean to his precious Naruto and he’ll yell at me and not come tomorrow and-

To his utter surprise, Iruka grinned impishly. “That’s a good idea, Kakashi-sensei”, he answered.

Oh. Kakashi stared at the grin. Maybe if I’m really quick now, he won’t notice when I use my Sharingan on him. Or I could tell him I have something in my eye and-

“Hey!”, Naruto yelled. “You say it’s okay? You don’t even know what that pervert’s up to, Iruka-sensei!”

“Naruto!” The Chuunin spun around and glared down at the boy. “Don’t call Kakashi-sensei a pervert!”

“But he is!”

“I’m sure he is not!”

Naruto snorted. “He reads porn. In public!”

“That’s- that’s not…” Iruka frowned. “That doesn’t give you the right to call him names either.”

“Hrn”, Naruto huffed, then pouted.

“I’m sorry”, Iruka repeated towards Kakashi and shook his head.

“I’ve been called worse”, the Jounin told him. And I’ve never been defended like that from it before.

The Chuunin shook his head again. “Just make sure they learn their lesson tomorrow”, he said, then a little grin built itself on his face. “Unfortunately, in the Academy we’re not allowed to spank the students anymore…” He grinned wider and winked at Kakashi without Naruto noticing.

Oh Kami, he really shouldn’t grin like that, talk about spanking with me and wink at me at the same time! He’s just gotten himself in the acute danger of being pounced and- No, bad Hatake! Don’t think about that! You know what will happen if you think about touching him and kissing him and making him sigh and moan and writhe and-

“Spanking?!”, Naruto shouted, shocked, effectively snapping Kakashi out of his increasingly naughty thoughts.

“Yes”, Iruka answered and shrugged lightly while the Copy-nin noticed him suppressing a sadistic smirk. “What do you think are the long rulers for? And why do you think there are still so many ropes in every classroom? They sure were not always just for training knots, at least not in the way they’re used now.”

Oh, hell, no! No pictures, please! Don’t imagine him being tied up on your bed and naked and moaning and begging and- No!

“R-ropes?”, Naruto asked and stared disbelievingly at his former sensei.

Or myself tied up somewhere and he above me, grinning like that and talking to me and telling me I’ve been a very naughty boy and need to be punished and then-

“OW!”, Kakashi yelled and looked down at his hand under Pakkun’s paw. “You’re standing on my fingers!”, he accused the pug.

“What?”, the dog asked innocently, then looked down and lifted his paw. “Oh! Oh, I’m sorry, boss. Seems that I got lost in thoughts…” He looked reproachfully up at his master.

“Oh.” Kakashi blushed brightly under his mask. “Ne-never mind then.”

“Is everything alright, Kakashi-sensei?”, Iruka asked. “You look uncomfortable.”

“Everything’s fine”, the Copy-nin said hastily. Fine. More than fine. Fine-fine. Spanking fine, so to sa- No! Bad!

“Are you sure? You-”

“What about ramen now?”, Pakkun interrupted the Chuunin.

“Oh! Sure!” Iruka smiled sheepishly. “I’m sorry, I totally forgot about that. What kind of flavour would you like, Pakkun?”

“Beef ramen”, the dog told him immediately.

“I’d like vegetable ramen”, Kakashi ordered at the owner of the shop. Vegetables. Vegetables are safe. They don’t have anything in common with ropes or rulers or tying up or spanking or Iruka in my bed or on my kitchen table or against my wall or on my-

“And for me chicken!”, Naruto yelled.

Right. Ramen. Think about ramen, Hatake!

“You won’t get any more ramen from me tonight”, Iruka told the boy. “Don’t think I’ll forget your behaviour that easily.”

Yes, and you’ve also been a naughty boy, Kakashi, and Iruka-sensei needs to pun- Ramen!

“But Iruka-sensei”, Naruto whined. “I only had six bowls yet! And I wanted to break my record tonight!”

Ramen. Ramen. Ramen. Ramen.

“Not my problem. Better think twice the next time before you insult Kaka-” Iruka broke off and blushed a little. “One of your teachers.”

Ramen. Ramen. Ra- hu? Did I just miss something?

“But-”

“No discussion”, the Chuunin said sternly. “You’re free to stay here with us but I won’t buy you any more ramen tonight.”

“You’re so mean, Iruka-sensei”, the blond boy grumbled.

“Sometimes.” Iruka grinned at Kakashi, then turned towards the owner of the ramen shop. “I’d like miso ramen, please.”

“Then it’s beef, vegetable and miso ramen.”

“And please don’t make salt into Pakkun’s”, Kakashi added. “It’s not good for dogs.” Pakkun. That’s good. Safe ground to talk about.

“Sure.” The man nodded, then turned.

“You really are very careful when it’s about Pakkun’s health, Kakashi-sensei”, Iruka said admiringly.

“He’s a very good friend of mine”, the Copy-nin told him, inwardly cringing at the confession Pakkun would certainly make sure he’d not forget in a looong time. “I care about all of my friends.”

“Oh, that’s really very-”

“He’s certainly not caring like that about us”, Naruto huffed indignantly, his arms crossed over his chest.

Kakashi glared at his student. I certainly would if you had a better feeling for right times and places, brat…

Iruka rolled his eyes, then turned towards the boy. “Naruto, I’m sure Kakashi-sensei cares a lot about you.”

“He let us do dog-sitting today”, the boy complained. “And my stupid dog was bigger than me!”

“It also was older than you”, Kakashi told his student. “Therefore it couldn’t be dangerous for you.”

“But it kept dragging me around and-”

“You picked it to show Sasuke and Sakura how much of a man you are”, the Copy-nin stated dryly, not saying that he’d picked that particular dog in full awareness of how Naruto would react to it.

“But… but…” The blond boy obviously wanted to say something but seemed at a loss of words.

“You picked it?”, Iruka laughed. “Why did I know that?”

“No fair, Iruka-sensei! Don’t laugh about me!”, Naruto complained. “Bakashi-pervert-sensei has a bad influence on you!”

“Naruto!”, the Chuunin yelled.

“Never mind, Iruka-sensei!” The boy jumped down from his chair. “If I don’t get any more ramen tonight, I’ll better go home now and get some sleep. Good night, Iruka-sensei!” He flung himself at his former teacher and hugged him tightly. “And be careful, or Bakashi-pervert-sensei’s perversity will rub off on you!”, he yelled back over his shoulder while he already ran towards his home.

Iruka sighed. “Kids.”

“He’s noisy”, Pakkun announced. “And orange.”

“Naruto’s a good kid”, the Chuunin said softly.

“You’re right”, Kakashi agreed. “And he’ll be a good shinobi one day. Once he stops picking always the biggest dog.”

Iruka laughed. “That’s true.” He shook his head, then smiled warmly at the Jounin. “I’m glad you teach him now. I know you’ll take good care of him.”

“Promised.” Kakashi smiled back, then looked up as the ramen was placed before him. “Thank you very much.”

“Would you like something to drink, too?”, Iruka asked. “Water? Or sake maybe?”

“My, Iruka-sensei”, Kakashi purred before he could stop himself. “Are you trying to get me drunk?” Oh no, no teasing!

“Maybe”, the Chuunin answered to his surprise, then grinned back impishly and laughed, blushing a little. “Could we have a bowl of water and a bottle sake with two cups, please?”, he ordered.

“Sure”, the chief nodded, then turned and soon placed a bowl of water in front of Pakkun and a trail with a bottle and two small cups in front of Kakashi.

“Well then”, Iruka said, took the bottle and filled both cups. “Itadakimasu.”

“Itadakimasu”, Kakashi and Pakkun gave back. The nin-dog started slurping down his noodles immediately but his master was distracted by Iruka looking at him without touching his food.

“Is everything alright, Iruka-sensei?”, he asked, frowning.

“What?” The Chuunin blinked. “Oh. Oh!” He blushed brightly. “I’m- I’m sorry, Kakashi-sensei, I just got…” He looked down at his noodles.

“You got?”, Kakashi asked, then habitually took advantage of his companion’s distraught state and wolfed down his food at lightning’s speed.

“I got a little lost in thoughts, I guess”, Iruka admitted, then looked up again, right after the Copy-nin had tugged his mask back into place. “I just- Hey! You’ve already finished eating?!”

“Yes”, Kakashi answered, confused and frowning. “Was that wrong?”

“Yes! I- I mean, no!” Iruka blushed again, even harder this time, then broke his chopsticks apart and forcefully slammed them into his noodles. “It’s nothing”, he mumbled and took a mouthful.

“But- I- Wha- What?”, Kakashi stammered, even more confused than before. He had done something wrong, it seemed, but he couldn’t get what that could possibly be. Is Iruka angry now? I didn’t tease him, so why-

“I’ve seen it”, Pakkun announced suddenly.

“REALLY?!”, Iruka asked and snapped his head towards him, then coughed because of the noodles in his mouth.

“Sure. The boss doesn’t wear the mask when he sleeps.” The dog shrugged and pointed at his bowl of ramen. “This is really good.”

My mask? Why- Kakashi’s eyes widened in realisation. He wanted to see my face! He looked at the Chuunin next to him, but Iruka had already turned his head back to his food and was now making himself busy with eating, face still flushed a bright red.

“Don’t you want to ask what the boss looks like, Iruka-sensei?”, Pakkun asked, grinning devilishly.

Iruka chewed carefully, then swallowed before he answered, “No, wouldn’t be right. And besides, I don’t think you’d tell me.”

“Yes, you’re probably right.” The pug nodded and grinned at him, then at his master. “And by the way, it’s hard for me to tell whether a human is attractive or not, you know, so even if the boss was the ugliest man that ever-”

“Hey!”, Kakashi yelled indignantly. “I’m sitting right here, mind you!”

“I’m sorry, Kakashi-sensei”, Iruka told him, bright blush still in place. “I didn’t mean to be rude.”

“It’s okay”, the Copy-nin answered. “It’s not that you jumped me and tried to yank the mask down by force.”

“Somebody did that?”, the Chuunin asked incredulously.

“Anko. And Genma helped. Didn’t succeed, though.”

“Oh.” Iruka frowned. “Could have guessed it was them.”

“Well, Genma… he’s Genma.” Kakashi grinned, knowing that he didn’t have to say more. “And Anko always is a little… direct, I think I should call it”, he chuckled.

“That’s a very nice word”, Iruka laughed.

The Copy-nin winked. “I can be nice, you know.”

“I know.” The Chuunin smiled warmly, then turned his attention back to his noodles, blush fading slowly.

Kakashi suppressed a dreamy sigh, took his cup of sake and kept watching him, not needing to turn around to know there was a broad grin plastered all over Pakkun’s face.

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