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Walking over the market, with a half filled basket, the brown haired Chunin looked for some vegetables, for his attempt to cook tonight. Ever since Naruto became the hero of this village, he barely got to see him and sitting alone at Ichiraku and eating there.. got quite lonely. He had to admit, that he missed the conversations with the blonde haired one. Sure, there were always other friends, but.. With Naruto he simply had that special bond. Lost in thoughts, something hit his shoulder and someone shriked startled. His face snapped to the person he just accidentally pushed. The familiar face of the (Y/HC) haired Chunin stared at him. His face flushed red, as he realised what just happened, so he bowed directly deepy in front of you.
'S-Sorry! I didn't saw you!', he blurred out.
You blinked one time, before a smile spread on your lips. A reassuring hand reached out and touched his shoulder, sending thousands of sparkling buzzing feelings through his body. He stood straight again, his cheeks still flushed red in embarrassement.
'It's fine, Iruka. I just got a little bit scared, but it's fine. No need to bow.', you said, smiling brightly at him.
Iruka breathed in and out, trying to calm himself, before weakly smiling back. (Y/N) Seiki.. One of the new additions of Team 7 back then.. He remembered how the fifth Hokage transfered him for a short time to Kakashi-sans Team and he remembered how he met you there. Apparently he was in charge of you, since you wanted to become Chunin. You never had the chance to become one, thanks to your abusive clan. You really had suffered enough, so he couldn't be prouder of you, for what you have archived until now. You were such a shy young woman back then, now you still were some sort of shy, but more still way more confident than before. And he started to like you. A lot. Which.. resulted in some.. awkward moments. He often made a fool out of himself, when you were around, but.. your soft laughter and your pleasant smiles mostly were worth his stupid behaviours. You still looked at him, apparently waiting for him to say something. He apparently stood there for a minute or two, all flushed and weird smiling. He coughed shortly and avoided your eyes, looking around and laying a hand in his neck.
'S-Sooo.. You're shopping I guess?', he asked.
You chuckled softly at his behaviour and gave a nod, showing him your shopping basket, which was filled with vegetables and fruits.
'Yeah, someone asked me if he could come over, so I suggested that I would cook for us. I see you are shopping as well?', you explained, still smiling, before you then gestured towards his basket.
Iruka's eyes wandered over to you, as you explained that you had a guest tonight. And he? So a male guest.. Something twisted in his guts, thinking about you seeing another man. And it surely put some weight on his mood.. He still gave a small smile, trying to hide his mood.
'Y-Yeah.. I should start to eat more healthy, you know? I mean.. I am mostly eating out and since I don't see Naruto that often anymore, it makes more sense if I start to cook for myself.', he explained.
'Ah, right. You often went to Ichiraku with him. I remember the times you guys invited me, it was always so much fun. I honestly miss these evenings sometimes. But it is good that you decide to cook for yourself now.', you answered, your smile still in place.
Heavens.. He loved your smile.. Almost getting caught in a dreamly sigh, he laughed awkwardly and rubbed the back of his head slightly.
'I know what you mean, I do miss these evenings too. Maybe one day again, when everyone has time. A-Anyways.. Can I ask you something?', he said, before looking a bit more serious.
You tilted your head slightly to the side at his request.
'You know you don't have to ask. Just ask.', you answered.
Iruka smiled weakly, before it fainted and he looked to the side, scratching his cheek slightly with his index finger. He blushed a bit.
'Y-You're already having plans for the summer festival..?', he then asked.
The (Y/HC) haired woman in front of him looked a bit surprised, but then you smiled warm and shook your head.
'No, actually not. Why.. do you ask?', you answered, before asking, a bit more shy.
You.. had nothing to do? So maybe the male guest tonight was not someone you were seeing? He might still have a chance? Oh yes! Okay Iruka, easy and steady. You can do it!
'Wannagooutwithme?!', he blurred out in one fast and loud shot.
You looked a bit surprised and was taken aback from the sudden loudness in his voice. People around the two of you chuckled silently or walked by watching you both and your cheeks flushed a little bit. Iruka instead had slammed his hand over his mouth, embarrassed by the way he just asked you out, shouting and in probably indistinct words. His own face resembled a tomato by now. How much he wished for some mighty power to let him vanish from this place.. Mortified he looked to the floor, but when he heard a soft chuckle from you and saw your feet shuffle a bit closer, he looked up at you again, only to get poked on the nose from you. A bold move from your side, considering your shyness.
'Did you asked me to go with you on the summer fest? Because if so, I would gladly join you.', you then said, the soft reddish blush on your cheeks still present.
It was as if someone started thousands fireworks inside his belly. His face lit up and even though he was still red in the face, his smile was bright and warm. He wouldn't be able to describe the happyness he felt right now.
'Y-You would? Really?', he asked, just to be sure.
You gave a nod on his question, again chuckling at the face he made. Was it.. that hard to believe that you would like to join him? You were both teachers after all, teaching at the same academy and he was a very dear friend to you. After all.. he did so much for you.. You would never be able to repay him for all of this.
'Yes, really. Do you want to meet there or..?', you confirmed once more, before asking for the details.
'I-I will get you at your house? At.. uh.. at seven?', he asked quickly.
'Sounds good to me.', you said smiling.
'Cool! U-Uhm.. T-Then.. uh.. S-See you then?', he stuttered.
Again you chuckled, but gave a nod and a small bow, before you both said goodbye to each other. Iruka couldn't believe it. You actually had said yes and Iruka had only one problem left. What.. should he wear..? He could not go in his chunin clothes... could he?
----
The day of the festival came fast. Whenever you both met in the academy you did talked and you both hanged out a bit, but other than that, there was nothing much. Iruka started to worry, his insecurities starting to grow. Because everytime you two talked, you were talking about a male visitor, who apparently seeked your advice in certain things. He didn't dared to ask, who your male visitor was, but apparently you.. did liked him. Once you even said, how cute he was, when you had asked a quite embarrassing question. Iruka's guts really twisted at that and for a moment he felt a wave of jealously. But.. you did say that you wanted to go with him, so.. why worry? Still. He couldn't shake that feeling off until the summer festival. He had bought himself a quite plain Yukata. He didn't wanted to stand out too much in the crowd, so he thought that a simple dark blue color would fit. But now, on the day of days, he actually felt like, he should have gone with something more.. flashy? Standing in front of his mirrow, he watched himself, turning around and looking if the Yukata was sitting alright. He sighed. It was to late to get another one now.. Also, he doesn't believed that you would judge him about it. You probably even believed, that he appeared in his normal Chunin-uniform..
'You gave her quite the impression, buddy..', he sighed, looking his mirror-self into the eyes.
No wonder that you might.. No. Stop right there, you stupid monkey. Today he was making sure, that you both had fun and maybe he could impress you a bit. Maybe even win over... your heart? Thinking of that made him blush and the Chunin clapped both hands on each cheek in his face. Concentrate!
'You don't wanna mess that up! Now get going, before you get too late!', he spoke to himself.
And with shortly grabbing anything necessary, like his keys and stuff, he left his home and took the Shinobi way to your apartment. It took him less than ten minutes to arrive and just when he was about to knock at your door, he heard giggles. Your giggles. And a voice, quite boyish, but certainly male. His heart dropped, he froze in place and stared at the door. Suddenly the door opened.
'Thanks again, Sensei! You helped me a lot!', the boyish voice said.
And then someone ran into him, just to bounce back and fall back into the apartment. Iruka blinked and looked down, just to see you kneeling down to.. Konohamaru?! While you asked if he was fine, Konohamaru held his head, before looking up at Iruka, who still stood there. Confusion on his face.
'What the hell, Iruka-Sensei?? Why do you linger in front of (Y/N)-Sensei's house??', the boy complained.
You also looked up to him, before turning your head to something and gasping, as you realised the time. You quickly stood up, making Konohamaru wince at the sudden move.
'Oh god, I am so sorry! I totally lost track of time! P-Please come in, I'll get ready!', you quickly said, before heading to your sleeping room in a quite rushing manner.
Konohamaru watched you disappear, before he looked back at Iruka. A knowing smile spread on the lips of the boy, devilish teasing. Iruka felt his cheeks heat up.
'So... You are her companion tonight, huh Iruka-Sensei?~', the boy teased.
'A-And you are the mysterious male visitor she had, who asked for advices?', Iruka simply asked back.
Now it was the boys turn to blush and he jumped on his feet. He turned halfway away and crossed his arms.
'T-That is none of your buisness!', the boy countered.
'Well.. Then it's none of yours either~', Iruka said, smiling because he managed to turn the situation around.
So much for the tease, you little punk. The brownhaired man looked from the boy in front of him, into your appartment. It was not a big one, but from what he saw here, it looked bright and inviting. He also saw a lot of plants and flowers. Typical for you, huh? Not giving up your hobby of gardening~ A small smile appeared on his lips, but fainted when the boy in front of him huffed.
'So.. You gonna tell her?', he asked.
Iruka blinked, confused and taken aback by the sudden question.
'T-Tell her what?', Iruka asked back.
'That you lik-', the boy wanted to answer but was interrupted by a sudden hand on his mouth.
Iruka had clapped his hand over the mouth of the boy, pressing with the other hand a finger on his lips and telling the boy to shut up. By now, the blush on his face just deepened and reached the tips of his ears.
'Be quiet, will you?! She can hear you, you moron!', he hissed silently, almost in panic.
Konohamaru reached for the hand over his mouth and pushed it away, looking quite annoyed.
'Well.. if you're not doing it any time soon, she will probably end up with Ebisu-Sensei!', the boy just said.
Iruka froze up, looking at the boy a bit shocked. Ebisu? No.. You wouldn't, would you? On the other hand.. he heard said man was.. quite interested in you.. A more thoughtful look appeared on his face.
'You know, I asked (Y/N)-Sensei, if she likes you.', Konohamaru suddenly said, making Iruka blush deeply again.
But before the man could complain about this reckless question of the boy, the boy chuckled and grinned widely.
'She answered, that she likes you a lot, that you were the one who saved her from a life in darkness and that she really respects you. I might be not in the position to say that, but for me she looked like she really, reaaaaaally likes you, Sensei. And if you like her, you should tell her!', the boy added.
Iruka looked at the boy, unsure if what he says was true. But.. If it was.. then.. there was nothing to worry about, was there? You liked him.. and he liked you. So.. where was the problem? The festival would be the best opportunity to tell you, what he felt! B-But.. what was the perfect moment to do that?? W-What if he messed up? What if you actually didn't liked him the way he did? The insecurities crawled up inside him. He would only make a fool out of himself again and you would probably just laugh about it again..
'Okay, I am finished. We can go if you want.', the sudden voice made the Chunin jump slightly.
As soon as he looked to you, he held his breath and froze up again. He.. surely didn't expected what you would wear for the festival. He worried, that he would look too plain, too boring, but.. apparently you had thought the same about not standing out in the crowd. You wore a plain, light brown Yukata, with leaf patterns on it. Your hair layed open around your shoulders and.. you even wore a tiny bit of make up. Plain or not, but Iruka saw probably the most beautiful person right in front of him. Completly in awe, he stared at you, making you blush.
'I-Is something.. wrong?', you asked shyly.
A small bump of Konohamaru's ellbow into his side and Iruka snapped out of it. He shook his head, the blush creeping back up on his face.
'N-No! Y-You look.. You look great, (Y/N).', he stuttered first, before complimenting you in all sincerity.
'T-Thank you. Y-you look great too, Iruka-kun.', you said, smiling brightly.
Konohamaru grinned at the two of you, before he stretched and grabbed both yours and Iruka's hands, dragging you along.
'Come on, guys! We will miss the fireworks!', the boy said.
You chuckled at the eagerness of the boy, while Iruka had to smile slightly at his behaviour. But both of you joined the boy and so you three walked together to the festival on the Konoha Street.
----
Like always the streets were full of all kind of shops. Small games, food stands and stands to buy little trinkets and stuff. Walking next to each other, Iruka loved the sight of the colorful and bright shops. He loved the smell in the air of all that good food around. But what he loved more than any of this, was to watch your eyes wandering around. You looked around like a child seeing magic. He had the faint feeling, that you never really went on festivals thanks to your clan and it kinda darkened his mood. Suddenly you tugged at his sleeve, pointing in a direction of a game stand and looked at him with big (Y/EC) eyes.
'Can we try this?', you asked him.
Iruka couldn't do anything other but to chuckle, before nodding and following you to said stand. Buying already two kunais for each one of them, you took the first try and aimed for the middle of the disk. When you threw it, it got stuck between the second and third ring and you started to pout a bit. Iruka laughed slightly, before taking the second kunai and taking a moment to aim. Then he threw it and hit the bullseye.
'Yes!', he cheered out.
You looked in awe, before looking up to Iruka and smiling brightly at him.
'I really should train my aim a bit more, I guess.', you laughed then.
Iruka smiled at you warmly. The man of the game stand then asked, what he would like to have as prize and Iruka looked around between all the stuffed animals and toys. Then he pointed towards a white big teddybear. When the man gave it to him, Iruka turned towards you and offered you the plush.
'Here, I want you to have it.', he said smiling.
You blinked, then blushed a bit and muttered a thank you, before taking the bear. Carefully your arms wrapped around the soft plush and pressed it gently against your chest. It was so soft.. you could just snuggle into the soft fur of the bear.. You looked up at him, giving him a thankful warm smile. Internally Iruka cheered, he totally nailed it! And he was thankful for that, cause now he was able to see one of your most beautiful smiles he adored so much. Walking further through the festival, you two decided to take a small break and got something to eat and drink. After that, both of you explored further. You decided to buy the Chunin a little luck charm and Iruka promised, that he would keep it always with him. He was actually close to tearing up at your gesture, but thankfully he could hold back his swelling emotions. While walking next to each other, he realised that you started to inch closer, until your hand brushed against his from time to time. The Chunins heart started to beat faster and he blushed slightly, but looking at you from the corner of his eyes, he saw that you were blushing as well. He looked to the other side, thinking if he should just take your hand already. But.. was it too bold? Would you even want to hold hands? Did he read the signs right?? Before he could decide, you got pushed hard to the side, right against him, which caused him to stumble. He had grabbed you and steadied both, you and himself, before looking growling at the person who had just ran against you. His eyes met the cold, grey eyes of the old man Umeboshi, the leader of the Seiki-Clan. He felt how you tensed up instantly, when you had realised who it was.
'Ungrateful disgrace! Running into me like you intended to! You better apologise in an instant!', the man spat.
You froze, unable to say anything and you just looked at him in total terror and fear, while clinging to the stuffed animal. He was the reason why you had such problems with your clan. He was the reason, why Iruka went so far for you, to get you out of the clan district. To bring you into the light of Konoha's warm sun. To share the Will of Fire with you and to bring you hope. He took a step up, hiding you with his body.
'I don't believe that she did this on purpose. The festival is full of people, its only natural that some people bump into each other from time to time. But apparently you are the only one who seems to complain about that. Maybe you should consider to leave the festival.', Iruka said, his face serious.
'I believe I didn't talked to you! So get out of my way!', the man said angrily.
Iruka stood his ground, shaking his head slightly, before giving the man a warning look.
'I won't. And you know exactly why. I won't allow you to hurt her anymore, so you better take your leave now, before I make sure that you regret your choice of running into her like this.', Iruka growled, standing protective like a wall in fron of you.
He felt how a hand of yours had grabbed his sleeve, to tug him gently away. He felt the worried look of yours in his neck. He felt the terror radiating from you, the fear. Iruka lifted his arm a bit and took your hand into his own, giving yours a small, reassuring press. Umeboshi on the other hand was red in the face. Probably from all the rage. But good for him that he wasn't as stupid as he looked like. The man huffed, mumbling something about that this wasn't over yet and started to walk away. Iruka was taking a moment to make sure, that he really disappeared, before turning to you. He saw that you were trembling in fear and you seemed close to a small panic attack. This man really did a number on you.. And he got away with it.. For gods sake, if Iruka ever saw this man doing anything to you ever again.. Sighing and trying to calm his own rage over Umeboshi, he dragged you against his body and embraced you in a hug.
'Don't worry, I'll make sure that he will never ever do anything to you again. I promise okay?', he whispered.
You were completely tense. For once, because of Umeboshi's appearance and second, because the sudden hug from Iruka. But hearing him, feeling his body, feeling his warmth sinking into your skin and smelling his sweet scent.. You relaxed and slightly leaned into his body, calming down with every second that passed by. You felt safe. Safe and secure in his arms.
'Thank you, Iruka-kun.. Honestly.. thank you..', you whispered back.
After a moment, he took your hand into his own and started to walk with you. His goal was a place up on the hokage mountain. It was easy to climb the rocks and boulders and when you two finally made it up on the face of the Third, he signed you to sit down with him. He still felt the rage boiling inside of him, but he pushed it away for your sake. You still weren't fully back to normal. It always took a while, when you were confronted with your clan.. There you sat, clinging to the plushed teddybear, still looking slightly pale. He looked over the village, a very pretty sight from this place. Seeing all the lights and bright colors.. He sighed silently, before looking back to you.
'Hey, (Y/N)?', he started.
You gave a small hum, your eyes fixed on the colorful lights and pressing the stuffed animal against your chest. Iruka didn't took his eyes from you, the lights of the festival suddenly fading. He just looked at you, your beautiful face.. The village was by now in complete darkness, when the faint sound of rockets filled the air. And with a loud explosion, the first firework rocket went of in many beautiful colors, lightening up the sky and the village below.
'..you are so beautiful..', he whispered.
You tensed up a bit, your head turning to him, a look of confusion on your face. You weren't sure if you had heard him right. But something in his eyes made your heart flutter in excitement. His warm eyes were fixed on you, which made you blush slightly. The next rocket went off, again coloring everything in sky and on earth. Iruka inched closer, slowly but steady.
'..I have to confess something..', he said, a little bit above a whisper, to make sure you had heard it.
Now was the time. Now was simply the perfect moment. He had to tell you now, or he would never get another chance! You blushed even more, suddenly shaking your head harshly.
'N-No! Please Iruka! Y-You can't.. I'm not.. Please don't say it..', you said almost desperate, not sure how to build a correct sentence.
Iruka looked now confused. Did.. you just.. refused his.. confession?.. Staring at him in cold shock, you scrambled to your knees, before bowing down, your head pressed against the cold stone.
'I don't want to hurt your feelings, but I am sure that there are many other woman out there, who are way better for you. I don't want to bother you anymore with my problems or with anything that involves my clan.', you excused.
The Chunin suddenly understood. You didn't refused his confession.. You refused yourself. You thought, you weren't good enough for him, that you were a bother to him, that you would cause him so many problems. You.. just wanted him to be happy, save and sound.. Sighing, he made you straighten up again, his hands on your shoulders. He smiled softly at you.
'(Y/N).. I am already involved in your problems with your clan. And I am sure there is no one better than you. No other woman out there is as beautiful in personality than you are. You would never bother me with your problems and I would never think of you as a inconvenience. (Y/N).. I really care for you and you are very dear to me. Ever since you became Chunin and a teacher at the academy I started to like you more and more every day.', he said gently.
The firework was still going on and the colors from it showed on both of your faces, hiding the deep blush you both shared. You were tearing up and Iruka almost panicked a bit, cause he surely didn't want to make you cry. A bit lost of words, he stuttered, but was interrupted by the sudden jump you did on him. Your arms wrapped around his neck, pressing yourself against him so much, that he blushed hard when he felt your chest against his own through the thin clothes. Then he heard a small sob and he wrapped his arms around you, gently and slow. Holding you against his body, keeping you from any harm, protective and safe..
'I love you, (Y/N).. I will always love you and always protect you.. I promise you.', he whispered.
He felt how your body tensed slightly at his words, before you released yourself from the hug to look at him. There were small tears running down your face and Iruka lifted a hand to wipe them away. He smiled warm and gently at you. Feeling miserably for crying like this and feeling even worse for making his confession into a drama, you muttered an apology. Iruka chuckled softly and shaked his head a bit, signing you that it was okay. Then he leaned in, closing the distance and softly laying his lips on yours, careful first, but then putting a tiny bit more pressure in it. You closed your eyes, adjusting your head a bit for giving him more space, before kissing back in a more shy manner. The last rockets were launched into the sky, filling it with all kind of colors. The kiss wasn't long due to the missing air in your lungs and you two broke it shortly after. Iruka gave you a loving look and a warm smile, causing you to hide your face in his shoulder, which made him laugh a bit. He held you in his arms, adjusting his sitting position a bit to be more comfortable, while he watched the last few colorful explosions.
'...I love you too.. Iruka-kun..', he heard you whispering.
He smiled. Bright and wide. This moment.. it couldn't be more perfect... He couldn't be more happier.