The Trick Is Not Minding

Chapter Thirty-One

The kunoichi huddled outside the garden wall couldn’t believe their ears. Hell no, they both thought, he is so not good enough for Iruka. They headed back to the village, already working on a plan to show the teacher what a huge mistake he was making.

“We need to find the perfect woman and hook Iruka up, that’ll change his mind.” Kurenai decided with a shake of her fist, “Oooh, I know, Mariko. They’d look absolutely adorable together.” She rushed off in search of the woman in question to set her plan in motion.

Anko took a more practical approach. If the copy-nin isn’t here they can’t get married, she reasoned, so she was going to see the jounin off on a long long mission. She headed to ANBU headquarters and soon found herself seated on the corner of Ibiki’s desk, desperately pleading her case. “. . . can’t get married. So, can you send him on a long mission?”

Ibiki was trying to hide his shock. Married? he thought, I’m not sure that’s such a good idea. After everything he’d been through the interrogator was pretty sure the copy-nin was far from stable enough for a commitment like that. He ran his hand over his head and sighed. Iruka always has been impulsive, he thought, but if it makes him happy . . . “Who asked?” was all he said, fixing Anko with an unreadable stare.

“Iruka,” she replied, “for some reason he just doesn’t see how creepy Hatake is. So, do you have a good mission for him?”

It’s none of my business, the interrogator decided, as long as it was Iruka’s choice I won’t interfere. “I’m sorry Anko,” he finally replied, “but I can’t help you. Hatake is working directly with the Hokage these days. Now, if you’re finished I have work to get back to.”

Anko stopped to pick up a bottle of sake before heading to the Hokage tower. This’ll be a lot easier than Ibiki, she thought, The Hokage likes Iruka, she’ll want to help me out.

Tsunade sipped her sake as she listened to Anko’s tale. She smiled to herself, congratulations brat, she thought, you deserve this. She turned a cold look on the kunoichi before she began to speak.

“Hatake Kakashi is my choice as successor to this office. He is both an excellent shinobi and an exceptional human being. I also happen to know he is very committed to Umino-sensei. I wish them every happiness and will certainly grant their request when asked.” She tapped her fingers together and wrinkled her brow in thought, “Although, since it bothers you so much I’m sure I can spare you the discomfort of seeing them marry . . . perhaps a nice long mission to Rain Country . . .” She watched in amusement as the kunoichi recoiled at the thought.

“Perhaps . . . perhaps I was mistaken, Hokage-sama.” Anko tentatively began, “I was only concerned for Iruka’s well-being. None of us knows Hatake that well.”

“Apparently Iruka does.” Tsunade replied pithily, “Perhaps you should trust his judgement.”

Kakashi leaned back against his lover, enjoying the feeling of the strong chest behind his back and the arm draped across his chest. He shut his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath, suddenly afraid that this was all some weird genjutsu. He shuddered, refusing to let that idea take hold and ruin this perfect moment. Right here, right now he had the only thing he’d ever really wanted, someone who wouldn’t leave him. He still wasn’t sure what love was . . . but he knew he’d die to protect this.

He turned in the loose embrace and slanted his lips over the teacher’s, desperately drinking in the sweetness that was Iruka’s mouth. He gently eased them to the blanket, breaking away to lap and suckle at the bronze column of his lover’s neck. Pale fingers deftly opened the chuunin’s shirt, allowing the copy-nin to drop his head and suckle a tempting collar bone before lapping in the hollow of his throat. Taunting lips traveled further to nip and tease luscious coffee-colored nipples before retreating to blow gently, causing goose bumps to race across tempting bronze flesh.

The jounin nibbled his way down defined abdominal muscles while working on removing the pants that were hindering his journey. He dipped his tongue into a distracting naval before sliding down and nipping a tender inner thigh hard, sucking and worrying at the mouthful of flesh, causing the teacher to thrash wildly. He buried his nose in soft chocolate curls and breathed deeply of the scent of his precious one.

Then Kakashi traced his tongue up the underside of the chuunin’s throbbing erection, lapping up the dripping pre-come before swooping to swallow it to the base, making his lover arch off the ground and bury his hands in wild silver strands. Holy shit, the teacher thought, I should propose more often. That, however, was his last coherent thought, as he suddenly felt a slick finger circling his entrance. It slid into the tight heat and Iruka could no longer think, only feel . . . so he gratefully surrendered himself to the only man he had ever loved.

For once the copy-nin wasn’t thinking or strategizing or analyzing . . . he was feeling. He abandoned himself to his worship of the smooth bronze perfection that was pledged only to him. When he finally slid fully into the teacher’s tight heat he had to stop and simply revel in the sensation. So perfect did he feel, in fact, that he might have stayed forever frozen in that one moment had the chuunin not entreated him to move. Move he did, though he kept the pace achingly slow, unwilling to let their communion end.

In the end, though, he could no longer hold back the rising need coiling so seductively in his loins, drawing him ever higher until it snapped and with a fierce thrust and a growled “mine” he came deep inside his lover’s willing body.

He gathered the spent teacher close, gently cradling him as he recovered. “Mmfmfh, definitely gonna propose more often.” Iruka croaked, “want more of that, please.”

“As much and as often as you wish.” the copy-nin replied, “for the rest of our lives.” He threaded a strong hand in loose chocolate strands, “Rest a bit. We have all night.”

“We have forever.” the chuunin sleepily replied before snuggling closer to his new fiancee and drifting off to sleep.

Kurenai sat in her friend Mariko’s apartment, sipping a cup of tea and explaining her plan to get Iruka to break his engagement. “And why did you come to me?” Mariko enquired.

“You two would make such a lovely couple. I’m sure if Iruka spent time with you he would forget all about Hatake.”

“And what’s wrong with him that you want to break them up so badly?”

“Well, to start with, he’s a man. Iruka belongs with a woman, he would make a great father, he’s wonderful with children. I think he’s just shy, once he meets the right woman he’ll blossom. Besides, it’s just wrong, he can do so much better.” Kurenai explained, “It’s not that I’m against Hatake . . . but Iruka’s special, I want him to be happy.”

“Kurenai,” Mariko said, taking her friend’s hand and looking into her eyes. “I’m sure you mean well, but I can’t be a party to this. First of all it seems obvious Iruka likes men . . . and that’s not something you can just change. Besides, they’re engaged, it’s way too late to change his mind now, you’re just going to have to accept it.”

“And I can’t change your mind then?” the dark haired kunoichi entreated one last time.

“No,” her friend replied, “my suggestion is go talk to Iruka about this, hear what he has to say . . . but accept the fact that it is his choice.”