Bathhouse revelations

Chapter 8

Iruka jumped from roof to roof rapidly, trying to get to the Ninja Academy as fast as he could. He was not too worried about his students: after all, Kakashi’s clone was watching over them. Nothing bad could have happened, right? Right. It was more the fact that he was so late that really made him sprint to the Academy so fast. He still couldn’t believe he was 20 minutes late! 20 minutes!

When Iruka finally arrived to the academy, a bit out of breath and slightly wet, headed for his classroom at once. To his relief, his prolonged absence had not caused a racket; his students were sitting together quietly on the now junk-less floor, eating their little sandwiches slowly. On the corner of his eye, he saw Kakashi’s clone sitting behind a neat pile of corrected exams, looking serene. On a closer look, Iruka noticed the seven year olds seemed fatigued - some of them even looked mildly anxious.

“Sensei!” some of them called when they finally saw him, looking now both excited and relieved. Obviously, his absence had worried them; after all, their sensei had never been late before. Well, someof them had been worried - Iruka could spot two or three little faces grimace with disappointment. Feeling a rush of affection for the little monsters, Iruka smiled. All around him, the little boys and girls were asking him questions, looking now curious.

“Where were you, Iruka-sensei?”

“What took you so long?”

“Why are you late?”

“Iruka-sensei’s never late!”

“Were you attacked by a group of missing nins?”

“Can we have the afternoon free, since you were late?”

“No! Let’s get rid of the essays!”

“You forgot us, didn’t you?”

“Why are you late?”

“Did he do weird things to you?” one little girl asked him as she eyed Kakshi’s clone warily, which was at the moment taking his leave. Iruka was under the impression she had been asked that question by her worried mother once but never quite understood what it was about.

“Now, now!” Iruka said loudly to shut the little curious voices. “I’m sorry I’m late everyone! But let’s not waste more time than we already have - go back to your desk and get out your notebooks and pencils, we’re going to continue taking notes about chakra!”

There was a collective groan and some rebellious students protested, but one stern look from their teacher and their protests suddenly died in their little throats. They grunted and returned to their seats half-heartedy and Iruka was glad to see that the room was actually clean - it was not spotlessly clean, and Iruka swore he saw the edge of a banana peel sticking out of a big closet, but it was acceptable. In the end, his absence had been a good thing: it had allowed the kids to eat a bit before the beginning of the class and, even though he had said to Kakashi that it wouldn’t matter, Iruka knew far too well how students got restless when they were hungry.

As the seven year olds were taking out their notebook dully, Iruka wondered if the other teachers had noticed his absence... They probably had, seeing how they seemed to be stalking him on the Academy grounds lately. And after what he’d told them earlier, Iruka was pretty sure they had been watching for his return anyway. He wouldn’t even be surprised that the whole village knew about it by the time he reached the mission room to do his mission room duties in the evening... And when they would hear he and Kakashi had been having lunch together... Oh, they’d have a field day. He was pretty sure gossipers would be absolutely delighted to spread more or less accurate versions of that story in the following days. The chuunin expected the mission room to be very crowded again that evening...

When the children were ready, they started to work and, although the seven year olds had been not very cooperative at first, the afternoon passed away smoothly and Iruka forgot about his meeting with Kakashi. Toward the end of the day, someone knocked on the door. Surprised, Iruka stopped talking about chakra channels and went to open the door. One of his colleagues was standing behind it, holding a small white envelope in his hands.

“Sorry to bother you Iruka-sensei, but the Principal asked me to deliver you this letter at once.”

His tone was informal and slightly bored. Obviously, he thought the chuunin had just owned himself a written warning, which was not exactly unusual for the academy staff, as complains were common things and, most of the time, were not too serious. Iruka, on the other hand, knew very well that the seemingly innocent envelope was very unlikely to contain a mere warning... As he took the envelope from the man’s hands, he felt like doom had just fallen on him all of a sudden, and nothing seemed to matter again as he stared at it blankly. He heard the academy teacher say him good bye and answered him dreamily, closing the door slowly behind him.

The chuunin stood there, staring at the white letter blankly. He had known all along it would happen in the end, but he had hoped... He felt his students’ curious eyes on him, but it didn’t really matter at the moment.

Carefully, he teared up the envelope, opened the letter and read it twice, his expression strangely distant.

So now it was official. It had been his last day as a teacher of Konoha’s Ninja Academy. He had been fired.

Feeling rather empty, the chuunin stared distantly at the sky outside, through which thin rays of light lit up a bit the velvet green lawn of the academy grounds. The Principal had probably heard about his meeting with Kakashi – Iruka hadn’t imagined the news would spread so fast... And now he had been slacked. Funny, he had thought the news would upset him, cause him pain or at least frustration. But he wasn’t in pain; at first he had been surprised, but now he was feeling strangely serene.

Oh, it saddened him. A lot. He loved his job: he had always loved teaching, loved trying to force some common sense and knowledge into those kids, who still had so much to learn... And he sincerely would miss those little hellions, miss correcting their exams, miss their disappointed groans and their foolish attempts to skip classes...

Yet, he felt serene with it. Because he knew he had done the right thing to do. He had never allowed anyone to decide for him what he was going to do with his life, and he was determined to keep things that way. He would not let them decide for him, period.

Anyway, it was not like it was the end of the world. He could still do other things. He guessed he would have to start doing missions more frequently. Or maybe he could join the full-time mission room staff. Sighing, Iruka folded the letter and put in back inside the envelope quietly. He still had some time to think about it, there was no rush to find a new full-time job. His financial situation allowed it.

“Iruka-sensei?”

Iruka’s head jerked up toward his students and for a second, the brown-haired man was almost surprised to find he was still at the Academy. He felt like he had been miles away... Forcing his attention back to the classroom, he noticed that while he had been thinking, many students had taken the opportunity to start chatting among themselves or playing with their belongings. But a few pair of eyes were set on him, sending him puzzled and mildly anxious glances.

“What’s wrong, sensei?”

“Are you alright?”

“What was the letter about?”

“Never you mind,” Iruka smiled at them softly, putting the letter away in one of his pockets. Then he stared at the loud class in a nostalgic attempt to crave them in his memory. That seemed to make the youngsters, who had never seen their teacher act that way, feel wary.

“Okay everyone, that’s enough for today!” The chuunin suddenly ordered them loudly, making them all jump in surprise. “You can put away your things and go home. But before you leave, let me remind you that you’ll have to write me a 500 words essay on why your behaviour yesterday was unacceptable!” They groaned once again. “No matter what, you have to hand those in on this desk first thing tomorrow morning; I will know if you don’t. And tomorrow, I expect you all to make me proud, behave and show your new teacher how well-disciplined you are!”

“Our new teacher?” The students looked around, suddenly forgetting about packing their personal affairs away and hurrying back home.

“You won’t be there tomorrow?” a shy little girl asked, looking puzzled.

“I’m afraid I won’t,” Iruka replied casually as he started picking up his own belongings.

“Why? Are you sick?”

“Idiot! If he’d be sick, he wouldn’t be here today!”

“Watch your mouth, Sukaru-kun,” the teacher warned the little boy sternly as he put their exams inside his briefcase.

“Then why aren’t you there tomorrow?”

“Why, sensei?”

“Is it something top secret?” one brown-haired boy asked eagerly. “Some dangerous super secret mission?”

“That’s a stupid question to ask, Yahura!” a girl scowled her friend. “If it was a super secret mission, he wouldn’t tell you now, wouldn’t he?”

“Are you going to do something dangerous, sensei?” a tiny girl asked him silently, her eyes fearful. Behind her, Iruka could see several other students looking worried now. Inwardly groaning, the ex-academy teacher wished he hadn’t said anything to start with. He had just wanted to warn them so they wouldn’t jump on his substitute tomorrow morning, thinking he was an intruder or a spy - he had known some of them for long enough to know it was not beyond them to try to capture the man, convinced he was a missing nin from Hidden Rain or something. And although he didn’t know him, he did not wish such a thing to happen to a poor and inexperienced chuunin, who probably thought teaching a bunch of 7 year olds would be a piece of cake. Especially not on his very first day of work.

On the other hand, he didn’t want to worry his students more than necessary with his dismissal...

“Of course not, Juuri,” the chuunin smiled at the small girl, hoping to sound reassuring. “I’m not going on a dangerous mission, I promise. So don’t worry, okay?” Iruka smiled as he picked up a few more books and put them safely into his briefcase. While some students looked relieved, other looked a it put out, which amused the chuunin. He was pretty sure some of them would have loved to imagine their sensei fighting powerful and dangerous enemies in a far away and exotic country – coming back unwounded or not.

“But then why won’t you be there tomorrow?” some students insisted, pouting.

“Are you going into vacation then?”

“Yes,” Iruka lied distantly, now packing away his correcting pencils and the few sentimental possessions he had forgotten long ago in the back of his drawers.

“Heh? That’s unfair! How come you’ve got vacations and we haven’t?”

“Are you going to the beach?”

“Yeah, where are you going, sensei?”

“Can we come along? Like last year, when we all went camping in the forest?”

“Will you bring us souvenirs?”

“Oh, I want to have a shell from the beach! The ones that does sounds, you know?”

“Yeah, me too!”

“How long will you be gone, Iruka-sensei?”

The last question made Iruka feel a bit uneasy; he didn’t want to lie to them and disappoint them later on, but on the other hand, he really didn’t want them to make a scene. That was the last thing he needed... He knew those little monsters liked to play tough but could be really sentimental and irrational when it came down to it. There were still children, after all.

“Yeah, when do you return? Next week?”

“I’m afraid I’ll be away for longer than that,” the brown-haired man grimaced. Having to actually admit it, say it out loud, made it feel worse. “Now go back home already! Or I keep you for more chakra theory!”

Those words had the wanted effect on the seven year olds, who finished to pack their belongings hastily and ran away, happy to be able to return home and play, their mind free of all worries. As they hurried toward the door, some of them shouted good byes to their ex-teacher.

“Good vacation, sensei!”

“Bring us photos, please!”

“And souvenirs, too!”

“Don’t forget, I want a shell that makes funny sounds!”

Iruka watched them leave the class silently, a small sad smile on his lips. He had sent them home for the last time, the chuunin thought with nostalgia. He felt bad about lying to them, but he didn’t want to cause a scene... In fact, he didn’t want people to know, to worry over him. It had been his decision, he assumed it and to Iruka, that was all there was to say about it. So he didn’t see the necessity to tell them the truth.

He doubted his students would have understood anyway.

Sighing, he closed his now very heavy briefcase and gave the deserted room a last circular glance. It would be weird not to work here ever again... But he would get used to it on the long run, he was sure of it. It was not the end of the world, after all.

Without looking back, Iruka left the classroom and slowly walked toward the exit. He heard the bell ring, announcing the end of the classes and instantaneously, rumblings could be heard coming from the nearby classrooms as students hastily put away their belongings and left. Then, students started to run past him, setting off home laughing and chatting cheerfully. Somehow, Iruka felt oddly light as he walked along the happy pre-genins, as if he was once again a 7 year old running back home after long hours of class. But he remembered sadly that he was no longer a child and that he would not have to come back tomorrow for his next class; he fact, he would never come back again.

As the chuunin passed by a open doorway, he heard one of his colleague call after him.

“Iruka-sensei,” he said loudly to be heard over the noisiness of the hallway, sounding amused. “Where are you going with that huge briefcase? Are you moving or what?”

“Nah, I’m a going on vacation,” Iruka smiled, feeling highly amused all of a sudden. When he was at it, why not stick to the same story?

“You’re kidding! We’re short-staffed, sensei!” the man shouted back, sounding a bit alarmed.

“Oh, don’t worry about it, I’m sure they’ve already found a substitute for me,” Iruka smiled mysteriously at the frowning chuunin.

And then, he walked through the exit and left the academy - for good.

His mind felt oddly blank as he walked through the crowded streets. Absently, Iruka went back home, dropped his heavy briefcase, grabbed a fruit and headed for the mission room, eating on his way. He wished he didn’t have mission duties that evening, but alas he still had responsibilities... As he walked, he suddenly remembered his lunch with Kakashi-sensei. He had had a good time with the Copy nin, he had to admit. The man was not only interesting, he was also fun to talk with. But somehow Iruka couldn’t help but feel it had happened days, weeks ago; it seemed so far away... It seemed impossible he had laughed with the silver-haired man in that small Yakitori bar only a few hours ago... Yet he knew he had. Strange.

As he arrived to the mission room, Iruka threw the remains of his peach into a nearby wastebasket and pushed the transparent door open. Inside the mission room, there was a great deal of commotion; the room was packed again and people chatted in low, excited voices to each other. When they saw him enter the room, they suddenly calmed down and an awkward silence stretched on as Iruka stood on the threshold, staring at the crowd with mild surprise. With that letter in mind, he had completely forgotten the mission room was ought to be overcrowded with gossipers after what just happened during the day.

Iruka inwardly sighed. Ignoring all the eyes watching him carefully, almost hungrily, Iruka made his way to the mission desk and settled himself at his usual place, ready to start his shift. Some part of him wondered if they were gossiping about his “date” with Kakashi-sensei or about his recent sacking. Probably about both. Not that he minded much; he was used now to provoke this kind of reaction everywhere he went anyway. Besides, he had to admit that, for once, they truly had something to talk about. That thought made him snort with dark amusement.

Slowly, whispers could be heard through the room; people couldn’t refrain themselves from talking for very long, as Iruka had expected. The chuunin did as if he didn’t hear the voices and worked, approved mission reports given to him soberly.

Around 6 o’clock, people seemed to suddenly hold their breath and Iruka was not surprised to find the Copy nin standing in front of him soon afterward. At the sight of the man, he felt a bit uneasy and suddenly wished he could be anywhere else. He didn’t quite understand why though; hadn’t he just had a great time with the jounin hours ago? Why was he feeling not at ease again? Why was he feeling suddenly so shy? Was it because they were surrounded by gossipers who would be positively delighted to watch him squirm under the older man’s gaze? Or maybe it was because of that short, mysterious moment of complete understanding they had shared previously...? Iruka had to admit that thinking about it, about how they both knew each other’s secrets, made him slightly nauseous as he stared into the man’s unblinking gray eye, his heart beating a bit faster. The man was standing in front of him, as still as a statue. Iruka guessed he was probably feeling a bit shy, nervous or even wary to confront him after what had happened between them, whatever what it had been. He knew he would if he were him. Willing himself to forget about those things, Iruka broke the uneasy silence to greet the man.

“Good evening, Kakashi-sensei.”

“Yo,” the jounin waved back, his single gray eye curving happily. They had broken the ice. Somehow that thought made them feel a bit more confident, like they were on safer waters now.

“What brings you here today?” the brown-haired man asked politely. “I thought you had volunteered to stand in for Yumo-sensei while she was sick?”

“Indeed I have, and I intended to keep on doing so for as long as my services would be needed. But you see, the Principal came and told me during the afternoon that Yumo-sensei seemed to feel better suddenly and would be able to come to the Academy tomorrow. Funny, isn’t it?” the jounin paused and it couldn’t have been clearer he felt the whole situation itself was so fishy it was amusing. “So I came to hand in my mission report for the day.”

Saying so, he gave Iruka a neat-looking sheet of paper, which Iruka took silently and started to read rapidly. After a few lines, he couldn’t help but smile. He had to admit, mildly impressed and oddly pleased, that the jounin had gone through a lot of efforts to make the little monsters suffer.

“Washed her mouth with a soap bar?” he asked, half-disapproving and half-amused, as he had a pretty good idea who the little girl was.

The jounin merely nodded. “She kept on saying filthy things, so I thought I’d get rid of the problem from the source.”

Holding back an amused snort, Iruka stamped the jounin’s mission report with the “Approved” sing and put it on a neat pile beside him. As he did so, the jounin silently set down something beside his right hand.

“You forgot your umbrella at the restaurant when you left,” he muttered simply. For a moment, Iruka stared at him, not understanding exactly what it was about. Then he remembered. He remembered how he positively ran away from the restaurant, leaving the poor Kakashi behind with his umbrella and - and the bill! Oh my...! How could he have forgotten about it? How could he have done that!

“Oh, I’m sorry Kakashi-sensei!” he burst out rapidly, his cheeks burning with embarrassment. “I didn’t mean to leave you behind like that, how rude of me! I’m really sorry, I didn’t-!”

“Don’t worry about it, I understand,” the jounin said simply, still smiling. “Anyway, I’m the one at fault, since I was the one who dragged you there and that’s why you were late to start with.”

“Of course not!” The chuunin snapped, indignant. “You were nice enough to invite me and I dumped you just like that-”

“It’s okay, I don’t mind-”

“I’m really sorry, I was in such a hurry, I totally forgot-”

“I told you already, I don’t mind,” Kakashi replied, but his voice was no longer casual and distant: he sounded serious.

“But!” Iruka gaped at him, trying to convince the jounin he was supposed to be angry with him. “I-I left you like that - with he bill and all!”

“The bill?” The Copy nin’s eye brows rose in the air; he seemed not to have given it a thought before.

“I really didn’t intend to leave like that - so rude of me, I can’t believe it! - here, I’ll pay my share-”

But as Iruka reached for his wallet, Kakashi grabbed his hand to stop him. Surprised, the chuunin looked up at the older nin, who seemed a bit hesitant. From close up, Iruka could see a bit of pink on the hedge of the man’s mask. Then, as casually as he could, the silver-haired man drew his hand back and Iruka stared, puzzled.

“Don’t, sensei. Let’s say,” there was another small hesitation, “you owe me a lunch, okay?”

Silence stretched between them. Iruka’s mind was oddly blank as he stared at the man in front of him, who was doing his best to look casually indifferent but, Iruka noticed absently, who also gave away small signs of nervousness. He couldn’t explain it, but Iruka was under the impression the Copy nin was waiting anxiously for a verdict to fall on him. Like he was asking him his permission... But his permission for what?

Then, as Iruka stared at the man, he understood what Kakashi was trying to ask. The silver-haired man wanted to know if it was still alright for him to seek his company now that they both knew he loved him. He was consciously and purposely allowing the brown-haired man to back down now if he wanted to. Iruka felt speechless. In front of him, the jounin seemed more and more nervous with every second that passed by and Iruka was almost surprised the man was not squirming yet.

Kakashi was letting him the choice... He couldn’t help but find it considerate of him. Very considerate.

“Yeah, okay,” the chuunin finally answered, smiling at the older man. At once, the Sharigan user’s face seemed to lighten up with a kind of childish joy and the brown-haired man couldn’t help thinking he was looking like a 5 year old who had been given a huge lollipop.

“Great,” the jounin said in what he surely hoped was a detached tone, trying to look nonchalant once again. “See you around then, sensei.”

The chuunin said good bye to the Copy nin, who walked away casually and left the mission room without looking back. Iruka smiled as he watched the man’s retreating back go away, wondering how the man truly felt right then. He guessed he probably wasn’t feeling uninterested at all.

Then Iruka’s smile slipped when he wondered if he was feeling interested... Surely enough, he enjoyed the man’s presence, but that didn’t mean he was interested in him that way. Normally, he would have probably felt uneasy, guilty or even scared by the prospect of meeting with Kakashi for a friendly meeting when they both knew he loved him in more than in a friendly way, but... he didn’t know why, but he somehow didn’t mind it that much. Because some small irrational part of himself was telling him that Kakashi understood. That he knew what the chuunin was able to give him at the moment and that he was fine with it.

Iruka just hoped he knew what he was truly looking for...

Around him, people were gossiping like mad, but Iruka couldn’t care less.


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To be continued.