A shinobi is a high school student like another – 16

 

Note I forgot to put earlier: Kakashi’s face’s description and what happened are NOT canon.

Oooooooooooo

 

The hot water was pouring down on my tired muscles, threatening to turn me into a big puddle of goo in the middle of my shower and emptying my mind… And it was only Sunday night. I still had troubles believing that a few hours earlier, I was in the same spot, but with Iruka.

Iruka…

The marks on his back… most were barely visible, just pale hair thin scars on his golden skin. And there was the other, the still pinkish and a bit swollen scar, large as my hand, exactly in the middle of his back, but a few centimeters from his spine. Those scars were looking what? Three, four years old? Maybe less for the larger. And then, the burns – those were looking really less old…

Who? Who had did this to him? And why? Scratch the last question. I f I could get my hands onto the guy who had did this to him, I would certainly not try to know why. I would rather make him experiment a world of pain.

I let my thoughts frolic happily and the pressured water drown my face, flattening my hair on my head.

Those marks… had they something to do with his obvious capacity to sense chakra? Or not? Ha d they something to do with what had told me Kotetsu… ‘he’ve seen enough shit’? May be was there a direct link between the scars and his ex, or ex-s…

That could explain the question that had rather badly disturbed me – you’re going to beat me too? – and the end of the morning.

 

Oooooooooooo

 

Iruka had used the ‘puppy eyes no jutsu’ on me so that I would see him home ; I yielded, what were you expecting me to do. So we walked from my place to his, first in streets covered with fresh snow, then into streets covered with less and less fresh snow as we were coming into the city and as the snowplows were working, pushing the snow away from the road onto the sidewalks. A few hours from here, and fresh snow would only be found on roofs.

When we finally made it to his place – he had took the opportunity to show me that there was a backdoor going directly to the stairs without needing to go into the pub – his place wasn’t empty. His cousin and Izumo were there, and they were obviously waiting for him. Well… Emily was waiting for him with a head that wasn’t looking like good news while Izumo was sleeping with his eyes open – someone had got a bit too much beer yesterday.

Iruka froze in his track in the threshold of his door when he saw them seated on his bed; ad when I looked over Iruka’s shoulder to know what was going on, Emily’s face fall – it was sounding even worse, if such a thing was possible.

Everything stopped for a very short instant, during which Iruka seemed to review very seriously his options, to see if he could close back the door and ran for his life – truth to be told, it was what I was thinking. And then finally, Emily, now looking murderous with her make-up having ran down her face, spoke.

“ ‘Ruka, get in and close the door. The other get in too.”

I confirmed it sounded Not Good at all. I stepped in after Iruka in the now crowded apartment, and he closed the door just before his cousin rose from the bed and stuck repeatedly a finger in his ribs, all the while screaming loud enough to wake Izumo. 

My words threw a blank into the screaming contest Emily was threatening to win. My ‘vampire friend’ turned ‘banshee’ overnight turned toward me, and the threat choose another target; me, evidently.

“Don’t you think it’s taking the ‘family protection’ a bit far? Iruka’s a grown-up, no? I don’t see where’s the matter…’ Ah. I think I would have had a better time choosing to suddenly turn mute at the moment, seeing the very deathly death glare Emily shot at me.

“That’s it exactly, you don’t see where’s the matter, you don’t see anything, you don’t know anything…”

“Emily!”

Emily’s head turned suddenly to Iruka who had just shot her name. His fists were tightly shut.

“Stop that, it’s enough.”

She turned back toward me. She was breathing hard, as if to avoid bursting into tears. 

“What did you tell him? You got him drunk? You got him as you wanted?”

My eye widened briefly under the shock – it felt like a blow this accusation, with all she was implying – before narrowing in anger. What did she wanted, and who in the hell did she think she was?

Iruka reached for her arms and shook her. 

“Are you gonna stop! He didn’t do anything, you hear! If you want to give responsibilities, it’s as much me as him! Stop it!”

He was looking close to tears; or ready to hit her. Izumo, who everyone had forgotten, put his arms around her, and took her away from us two. Emily’s anger seemed to crack once in her man’s arms. She began to sob freely. Iruka lowered his gaze and turned away from her.

“I…” he began softly. “I understand you worry Emy…”

Emily was sobbing without seeming to be able to stop into Izumo’s arms; what she was trying to say was cut by tears.

“it won’t happen again Emy, never again.”

Izumo seemed to follow, and to understand what was going on. Me, I was totally out of the loop – the only thing clear, was that I wanted to go and hug Iruka ; and maybe getting outta here. But Iruka made the move; he gripped the back of my sleeve, and got closer from me. I looked at him, probably looking as lost as I was feeling; but he only shook his head at my unspoken question, and got a bit closer.

Emily couldn’t stop crying – from Doc Kakashi, this was a nervous breakdown, or something close. Maybe was she simply exhausted. She seemed to have spend the night up worrying. It was Izumo who had the last word though, staring straight at me from behind his dark hair, before he stepped out of the apartment, half-carrying his girlfriend.

“I hope I’ll never hear weird stuff about you.”

There was a long, long silence once they left. Nothing moved for a few moment, then Iruka sighed, shrugging off jacket and pull-over.

“I’m sorry you had to witness this.”

I think I was still wearing the ‘didn’t understand anything’ expression on my face, and Iruka’s apology didn’t help one bit.

“What was ‘this’ exactly?”

Iruka didn’t reply. I stepped closer from him.

“I don’t understand – explain to me, please…”

iruka just shook his head. He was a bit kinda like me, really. He was hiding… - no, he was hiding himself. He wouldn’t tell me anything, not right now. Maybe later – maybe not. I just nodded.

What happened after is none of your concern. And no, we didn’t spend our time playing rabbits you dirty minded people!

 

Oooooooooo

 

I made my head go from right to left, so that the hot water would go everywhere on my very aching back – there was little doubt about my state of stiffness by tomorrow, Sensei had not pulled his punches…

Hey ho, calm down your over-reactive imaginations…

I went to the HQ to taka the temperature, and Sensei was so stressed up that I asked him to have a little one on one match. In the process, we pooled up all the well-named team, and we happily brawled. What do you want… that’s kinda efficient as a stress reliver.

The less fun stuff when I got to the HQ, was that it had been confirmed to the info dept. that weird underground moves had began between 1am and the time HQ got the info – 7 am. Orders had been immediately assigned, but they were pretty much all saying the same : stay on guard and keep your eyes open. Sarutobi had his Bad Day’s face when he said it, and that added to the simple fact that Sensei between all people was stressed was enough for my internal alarm to blast “Bad Day, Danger, Bad Day!”.

I had a feeling like we were going to have some interesting days. Weeks. Months. Maybe even years.

I rubbed my neck under the hot spray to try to make the stiffness go away ; and the move brought back the after-training/brawl in the forefront of my mind. I could have done without.

Who say “we happily brawled and hit each other senseless we’re happy we stink like skunks” say a visit to the lockers is in order. Particularly a visit to the shower part of said lockers room.

The only problem, was that not only had I the hits I got myself during training, but also other marks – this night’s marks, on my neck and further down. And they were very very exposed. This was Teh occasion for Genma.

“ ‘Kashi? Am I seeing what I think I’m seeing?”

“I don’t want to know.”

“Ha ha! Denying of the evidence! Which is evident thought!”

Raidou got into the locker room at this moment, as I putting back a not-too-dirty-and-smelly T-shirt and as Genma was making a fool of himself in front of me and in a towel.

“You’re loud Gen’…”

“Lookie lookie Rai’!”

“Hey!” Genma had gripped the back of my collar to show the marks.

“If that’s not obvious proofs – he can’t have got those this afternoon! It’s love bites! But that’s weird, he doesn’t look more relaxed than before… Never mind, my little Kakashi became a real man!”

On those words, the creature and public enemy n°1 of tranquility named Genma hugged me to death all the while making stupid sounds usually used by young parents confronted to their brat’s first steps.

“ ‘The hell? Leave me alone Gen- Eho, get lost! Raidou, help!”

“Gen’, you’re choking him…”

“Tell everything to Uncle Genma! What’s her name? Is she cute? Is she an uniform-wearing high school girl?”

I was on the edge of strangling myself hearing that. Zabuza slipped his head out of one smoking shower, one inexistent eyebrow raised. 

“What? Don’t tell me you did the goth?!”

“Are you out of your mind!” I choked, still assaulted by the Genma. Emily’s face of this morning came back with a vengeance – there, paf, straight between my eyes.

“The goth? Tell me everything Kashi-I, tell meee!!”

It was even worse than I could have thought this morning.

I put my forehead onto the cold tiles of the shower. Bad Day – no, sorry, shitty after-waking-up. I would have had a better time staying in bed with Iruka this morning. 

And thinking about that was leading me to think about something else – I think I should stop thinking sometimes, my brain would be grateful- : how… ‘to be’, ‘to act’, what behavior to have… well shit, you got it, with Iruka at school tomorrow?

And also… what were we exactly?

I hit my head against the tiles before trying to drown myself into my shower – it was confirmed that I should freeze my cognitive processes sometimes.

 

Ooooooo end 16^th part oooooooooooo