The Dance

Iruka stared into the used bookstore with some trepedition. He knew the owner by name but that was about it. She wasn't exactly the friendliest old woman he'd met. The last time he'd been in there he'd gotten a book on plants for his class and she'd scowled at him, taken the book away, and handed him a different one. Although, the book had proven to be very useful, he hadn't been quite sure what to make of the event.

'Well...' He decided. 'Here goes nothing.' And with a determined step he walked into the shop and up to the counter.

"Tsukiko-sama, I was wondering if you would join me for tea?" Iruka asked smiling warmly.

"No," she said flatly not even looking up as she wrote something down in a ledger.

Iruka frowned slightly, frustrated and a little dumbfounded by the flat refusal.

"But you may join me if you like. I don't like to close shop early so, I usually take my tea in the back room at about 5 o'clock." She made another mark in the ledger, smiling slightly in that thoughtful manner that showed she was concentrating. "It allows those shopping on their lunch to do so."

The frown disappeared and he nodded. "I'll return then."

"And it's Kiko, Kiko-san if you feel you must." The tone was harsh and she didn't look at him when she said it.

"Hai, Kiko-san, I shall remember that."

-------

Iruka arrived an hour later, a white box in one hand. It was precisely five when he walked through the door.

"Prompt, I see. That's a good trait in a shinobi and a teacher. Perhaps you could teach my grandson that, he seems to have forgotten," she said leading him to the back room.

"Your grandson?" He knew who she meant, or at least he assumed he did, but he was surprised by the connection.

"Kakashi." She didn't bother with the last name obviously assuming it would be obvious, which of course it was.

"Hai, I didn't realize." He followed her through the curtain to a small room. Iruka noted the table, kitchen, and a number of personal items and wondered if it was actualy her living quarters. The old woman set a tea pot on to boil and pulled a small red iron tea set from the cupboard.

"Most don't child. I haven't used my last name in decades. Those who know, also know better than to discuss my personal life with others." The hint was obvious and Iruka smiled to know he'd been trusted with such a confidence.

Iruka set the box on the table and opened it, pulling out the cookies he'd made before setting the box aside and moving to stand near Kiko-san. "Is there anything I can help with?"

"Go sit. I'm not some frail old woman who can't manage to make a pot of tea." Although the words were coarse, the tone was relatively pleasant.

"Gomen," he said quickly retreating to the table. The lack of conversation was unnerving but the chunin waited patiently while the tea was prepared. He considered how he should ask her to deliever his message. Wondered if she would take offense or inquire as to the reason for his apology.

The motion of Kiko-san setting the tea down in front of him drew him out of his thoughts. He smiled at her warmly and tried not to let his insecurity show.

She looked back, studying his face, as she poured the tea. Her expression was calm, almost bored despite the intensity with which her eyes bore into his. "You're a chunin, you teach at the academy, correct?"

"Hai." Iruka sipped his tea, grateful for something to do with his hands so he wouldn't fidget under the old woman's scrutiny. "I enjoy teaching. It is an honor to be a part of shaping the next generation."

"I suppose. Perhaps you can shape them into something other than ungrateful brats." Iruka wondered if she was refering to Kakashi or shinobi in general.

"Were you a shinobi when you were younger?" Iruka asked, hoping to change the subject.

"How do you know I'm not still?" She countered, sipping her tea absently.

"I work at the mission desk." Iruka smiled warmly and set his cup down.

She didn't appear to be irritated with him for the inquiry, instead she had a familiar expression of disinterest. "For a shinobi, you're not very subtle."

Iruka blushed and looked down at his hands. "Gomen, Kiko-san." The sharp high laughter from the woman surprised him.

"I see now why he likes you," she said, still chuckling. "I wonder if he realizes it himself."

He looked up at her, his mouth hanging open slightly. Iruka regained his composure after a moment. "What do you mean?"

"My grandson is quite fond of you, and I see now, one of the reasons for that." Guilt settled in his stomach like a dead weight at her words. She poured the tea and offered him a cup which he took, grateful for an excuse to look away. He thought for a moment she'd elaborate or perhaps answer his question, but she merely sat there sipping her tea.

"I was wondering..." He hesitated considering his words carefully. "If I could leave a message for Kakashi with you?" It was far from an elegantly formed request, but he hoped his being forward about it would be to his advantage, given her amusement as his previous lack of subtlety.

"I'm sorry, but I can't do that." Kiko said pouring herself some more tea and offering Iruka more as well. "However, if you wish you may visit me again for tea."

It took a moment but he realized she had all but echoed Teuchi-san's statement, as well as offered him the chance to do so. "I would like that very much." They sat drinking their tea for quite some time before he excused himself.

He smiled as he walked home. Kakashi's grandmother was interesting and he could definitely see the brilliance that was the Hatake mind in her, if simply by her ability to avoid answering questions.

---

Kiko set her cookie down and looked at him. "That's why you look so guilty," she stated as though a riddle had been solved. "He gave you the kicked puppy look didn't he?"

Iruka nodded the guilt twisting inside of him for the hundredth time.. "How does he do /that/ with a mask on?"

"It's genetic. I think it's trait that every male in the Inuzuka clan shares." She seemed amused in the way only somebody who really understands can be.

"Inuzuka?" Iruka wasn't sure why he was surprised. It explained a lot and really at some point you should stop being shocked by every little revelation.

She nodded. "His grandfather was extremely good at it. That look was my downfall."

"Oh?" He hoped she would explain, the little tid bit was interesting. Iruka smiled and sipped his tea. In the week he'd been visiting her, she hadn't talked about herself hardly at all and he was curious.

Kiko laughed at his expression and sipped her tea. "Well, you see back during the second great war my father was a general involved primarily in tactics. He was killed in a surprise attack on the hospital."

There was no saddness in her voice but her eyes took on a more distant look. "He was a paranoid man and all of his notes were kept in a private code. One not even the hokage knew, so they were at a loss as to what to do about them. When they spoke to my uncle about it, hoping he would be able to decipher them he informed them the only one likely to be capable of it would be me."

Iruka's eyes widened slightly in surprise. "So you were a shinobi."

"Not exactly, at least not then." Kiko poured them both some more tea. "You see my father never wanted me to be a shinobi. He didn't want to see me, his only child, put at risk. So, I ran the bookstore with my mother. Minding a store is rather dull work for a child however and so to occupy my time he and I would play a game." She dropped in a cube of sugar and stirred her tea, not even glancing down at the cup.

"He would write me letters in code and I'd have to figure them out to read them. We'd played the game since I was very little and so by the time I was 17 I was really quite exceptional at it.'

"Wow." Iruka was in awe. He shouldn't have been surprised, after all she was Kakashi's grandmother, and the man was a known genius.

"The Hokage himself came to make the request and not even my mother could say no." An amused grin lit her face, eyes curving happily, and reminding Iruka briefly of her grandson.

Kiko's chuckled softly before continuing. "Instead, she made one request. That, in accordance with my father's only wish, I be kept safe. Not an unreasonable request it would seem. I would spend my days reading my father's notes at the ANBU headquarters. The safest place in Konoha."

He nodded his understanding but let the skeptism show on his face. She wouldn't bother stating the obvious.

"However, the attack that killed my father wasn't the only one we'd had. Various other places within our walls had been attacked and the enemy had disappeared leaving no trace. With that understanding, they assigned me a body guard. An Inuzuka named Shikon." Iruka watched as the old woman's eyes closed, glimpsing a tinge of sadness in them just before they shut.

"We fought constantly." The smile returned and she shook her head slightly. "He kept asking me out and I kept turning him down. Of course, I didn't think he was actually serious. Besides, I had a crush on Saratoubi-san at the time."

The chunin's eyes shot wide with surprise and he nearly choked on his tea. She laughed at him, and he blushed.

"The attacks inside the city were still happening and worse we couldn't find a pattern or even figure out the location where they were getting in at. Then by pure dumb luck Shikon 'happened' upon the answer."

He raised an eyebrow but said nothing, simply drank his tea and waited for her to continue.

"He was late showing up one day and when he finally did walk in the door he was soaking wet and covered head to toe in mud. When I asked him about it he explained that he was working on a new technique, Gatsuga, and he evidently plowed into a river." She smiled and shook her head, obviously lost in her story.

"After laughing at him for being so clumsy as to fall in a river he explained that it wasn't his fault. That he couldn't see the river because it was underground. It stuck me then that the enemy nin were getting in through that river. I had him show me where it was on a map and I was so happy I said he was genius. As I was running out the door he asked if since he was now a genius if I would finally go out with him. I agreed because I wasn't paying attention." Kiko shook her head, rolling her eyes at the memory.

"But when it came time for the date I was too wrapped up in planning a way to take the river out without causing the buildings sitting on top of it to fall that I... forgot." Kiko looked a little ashamed at the fact.

"And he gave you the kicked puppy look right?" Iruka wanted to laugh, but managed to keep it to an amused chuckle.

"Yes, and I felt like a fool. But, I realized how much it bothered me to see him looking that way and why it bothered me. And, well, the rest is history. Although, it was a bit more complicated than that." She smiled at him with that knowing glint in her eye and he blushed.

Iruka wondered why they hadn't married. If they had, obviously, her last name wouldn't have stayed Hatake. But he decided not to ask since it was likely to be painful for her and he didn't want to see her stop smiling. It reminded him of Kakashi's.

---

TSUKIKO
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 月孠(Japanese)
From Japanese 月 (tsuki) "moon" and 孠(ko) "child".

Kiko
Beginning Child

Shikon - another version of fang chose it because of Sakumo being the white fang, so his father's name combined with Sakumo's white hair... well it seemed like a cute idea to me at least.