Work Text:
The Sixth Scent
“Iruka’s scent ends right here…In any case, all we can do is search for him,” Pakkun informed young Uzumaki Naruto, senses wary.
The small pug was one of eight ninken in contract with jōnin shinobi Hatake Kakashi who, in what would normally be considered a bit of a “faux paw,”[1] had summoned him directly into the outstretched hand of young shinobi academy instructor Umino Iruka (currently missing) in order to help track down a man named Mizuki— Iruka’s former friend, colleague, and attempted murderer[2] who was now on the run after having violently freed himself and all the other inmates from the Konoha Strict Correctional Facility.
Pakkun and Iruka met up with Naruto and the three of them subsequently found themselves engaged in combat with Mizuki and a rather troublesome pair of his fellow escapees (the “Legendary Stupid Brothers,” Fūjin and Raijin). They became separated when Iruka and Mizuki’s one-on-one battle led them farther away, and once help arrived to deal with the Brothers, Pakkun and Naruto raced to find them.
Adrenaline coursed through Pakkun’s circulatory system, his heart throbbing with a sense of urgency. Iruka was a capable shinobi—brave, intelligent and skilled, with keen senses and a strong will—if a bit distractable and prone to self-doubt, but Kakashi had rather pointedly insisted that Pakkun protect the young sensei, and the odor of that Mizuki person was worryingly off.
“My sixth scent tells me there’s something foul and unnatural about that man,” thought the dog. “Iruka might be in more danger than he knows.”
Pakkun knew Iruka’s scent well enough: notes of chalk dust, cheap furniture, and children (befitting a schoolteacher) under an aroma of sweet senbei, sandalwood, and sincerity, with a hint of ramen and yearning. He had no trouble tracking it until he and Naruto reached a crater dominated by the ruins of a massive building that looked like the epicenter of an explosion. There, Iruka’s scent stopped, and smoldering particles of clay, ash, and charcoal, along with saltpeter and sulfur filled the tiny dog’s nostrils, suggesting this was a recent, human-caused devastation.
As they made to search the rubble, a sizeable slab of gray stone was slowly lifted and tossed aside, revealing a bruised and battered figure.
“Iruka Sensei!” yelled Naruto.
“You’re safe!” exclaimed Pakkun as the two of them ran to assist.
The young man winced in pain and doubled over. Iruka brushed off the dog’s and boy’s concern, and as he tried to undersell the extent of his injuries, a sudden noise caught the group’s attention.
“Somebody’s approaching!” warned Pakkun.
A young woman in a chūnin vest suddenly appeared and hurried over. Naruto and Pakkun moved some distance out of the way as she began tenderly treating Iruka’s wounds.
The two young adults were clearly familiar with one another. Pakkun’s fur perked up.
“I smell compassion and longing; feelings left unspoken,” Pakkun thought. “My sixth scent tells me there is an important relationship here.”
“Hmm…there must be something between those two…” he offered. “Well, what I think is…” He held up his paw.
“Huh? What’s up with the paw pad?” said Naruto.
“Baka! Look carefully! The little finger! The little finger!” Pakkun directed, demonstrating by moving his smallest outer digit away from the rest of his paw. It took Naruto a beat to understand.
“Little finger? Huh? Iruka Sensei’s?” [3] the boy began.
“Well, my intuition tells me that it’s positive…” the pug responded.
“Naruto? What are you two talking about?” Iruka interjected.
“Uh, nothing!” Naruto replied.
Iruka spoke up. “Let me make an introduction. This is Tsubaki-san… Mizuki’s fiancée.”
“Fiancée? Mizuki’s?” Naruto was baffled, but not as much as Pakkun.
“Ah, it’s negative…” the pug proclaimed with a sigh.
“What’s up with that reaction?” remarked Naruto.
Pakkun was irritated and confused. How could his sixth scent be mistaken? He was a true believer in the Red String of Fate, and while he had yet to find his own soulmate (he liked to joke that it was probably a hefty piece of chāshū), he was invested in others finding theirs and wasn’t above occasionally sticking his nose into their personal affairs. Besides, Iruka was one of his favorite humans—he was kind, passionate, generous, gave the best ear scritches and belly rubs…and he was lonely, [4] so it was only natural that Pakkun thought the young pup deserved to find happiness with another pup of equal quality.
Tsubaki begged Iruka to take her along to find Mizuki and claimed she could lead the way to him. The kunoichi’s excuses for not doing more to stop her fiancé’s trail of crime did not ingratiate her with Pakkun, and when she alerted them to the fact that Mizuki had been associating with none other than one Orochimaru[5] and sought that villain’s power for himself, he was glad she wasn’t Iruka’s soulmate after all. The fire burning in Iruka’s eyes as they rushed toward the location where Tsubaki said Mizuki met with Orochimaru convinced the pug that there had to be someone much better suited for the good teacher.
When they arrived, Pakkun’s nostrils flared and his fur quivered. “That guy has done something. That smell gives me the shivers.”
Mizuki emerged from the entrance to a cave, enraged and power-drunk. He ingested a potion-like substance, which caused his muscle mass to increase, markings to appear on his skin, and his eyes to grow sharp and cat-like. It reminded Naruto of the way Orochimaru’s curse mark had transformed Sasuke. Iruka’s skin and Pakkun’s nose began to tingle—what incredible chakra!
Naruto ran forward and Mizuki punched him to the ground. Then, with incredible speed, Mizuki appeared behind Iruka and struck him against the neck and side of the head with such force it knocked the chūnin off his feet.
Tsubaki ran to Mizuki and desperately tried to talk him down, but he tossed his fiancée aside, flinging her into the air as if she were no heavier than a pillow. Iruka flew to catch her, but as he did, Mizuki appeared behind them and walloped them into a tree. Naruto dove into combat, while Pakkun hid.
Mizuki raged, pummeling Naruto and his shadow clones and threatening vengeance against both him and Iruka. Iruka, still recovering from the previous blow, pulled himself to his feet and entered the fray, Mizuki thrashing him and insulting him at every step.
Iruka, having a gentle and compassionate nature, was disinclined to fight with the intent to kill, and Pakkun had noticed that he was also the type of person to try to reason with his opponents at every stage of battle. Iruka was willing to vigorously defend the lives of others, however, even at the potential cost of his own, and as Mizuki hurtled the shinobi to the ground, Pakkun worried that he himself might have to get more directly involved than he was otherwise inclined[6] in order to keep his promise to Kakashi and to fulfill his own sense of devotion toward the kind-hearted sensei.
But as the juiced-up felon hurled a giant shuriken straight at Iruka’s face, suddenly Naruto jumped in front of Iruka, taking the shuriken to his own back and saving Iruka’s life, returning the favor his beloved former teacher had done for him during their previous battle with Mizuki.
“You jerk! Don’t you dare lay your hands on Iruka Sensei!”
Iruka and Pakkun were both touched by Naruto’s act of self-sacrifice. Pakkun’s sense of loyalty and protectiveness toward Naruto and Iruka deepened further, though he opted to remain hidden for the time being.
Mizuki laughed at the remarkable parallel between this turn of events and their prior encounter. Suddenly, Mizuki’s body began to transform again. His muscles grew even bulkier, and his upper body took on the appearance of a tiger—orange with black stripes, feline ears sprouting from his head.
His power level was enormous! His blows sent Iruka and Naruto flying, but then Pakkun noticed something interesting. He made his way over to the rocky outcropping where Iruka landed.
“Iruka, are you all right? Did you notice? “
“Huh? Did he transfer the chakra he was using for speed, to power?” There was the sharp mind the pug knew the chūnin possessed!
Iruka stood up, as Mizuki continued to batter Naruto, and devised a plan. As he and Pakkun ran into the forest, Iruka used his hitai-ate to flash a signal to Naruto to follow them. Naruto scrambled past his chimeric attacker and fled in the direction of the signal.
Mizuki wasn’t far behind, but it was far enough. Iruka yelled for Naruto to jump up, and as he did, Mizuki found himself surrounded by sealing tags, which Iruka used to activate the Fūbaku Hōjin—the Sealed Binding Formation—effectively trapping the tiger.
Naruto followed up with an impressive Rasengan to Mizuki’s trunk—flooring him. Danger abated, Naruto checked in with his friend and former teacher.
“Iruka Sensei! Are you okay?”
Iruka deflected the attention and turned it around in praise of Naruto. Pakkun thought they both looked a little worse for the wear, but at least they were upright and mobile. Conscious, but incapacitated, Mizuki fumed, and then his body steamed and started to wither, leaving him looking like a dried-up prune.
At that moment, they were joined by Godaime Hokage, Tsunade-sama herself. As support-nin arrived and worked on stabilizing the shriveled man and restoring his former appearance, Tsunade told Mizuki he was lucky to have even survived, though at the cost of never being a shinobi again. He was subsequently taken into custody and returned to prison.
Tsubaki approached Iruka and expressed her regrets, her desire to atone for the part she played in enabling Mizuki’s misdeeds, and her hope of one day starting over. Iruka and Pakkun recognized her actions stemmed in large measure from Mizuki’s lies and abuse, and trusted she would make good on her words, and Pakkun secretly hoped someday she’d find a better partner than Mizuki—a true soulmate.[7]
As the sun started to set, the group headed back to the village in good spirits.
“All right,” Iruka announced cheerfully, “since everybody worked so hard today, I’m going to do something special and treat you all to a meal at Ichiraku!”
There was much cheering.
“I want a block of chāshū!” Pakkun spouted out, tail wagging, excited to be included in Iruka’s generosity.
“Hey, Iruka! Before you do that,” interjected Tsunade, “you and Naruto need to go to Konoha Hospital.”
Naruto whined that he was feeling perfectly fine, and Iruka beamed at him, proud of everything his former student had accomplished during this emotionally and physically taxing adventure. Pakkun looked at them and thought Tsunade-sama was probably right, and he’d better tag along for good measure.
Later that night at the hospital, as Iruka and Naruto lay in their beds recovering, the curtain between them pushed back so they could chat, Pakkun snoozing on Naruto’s chest, a quiet, lanky figure entered the room, hiding something behind their back.
“Hey, Iruka Sensei! Heard you were here.”
“Kakashi Sensei? Walking right in through the door and not sneaking in through the window? That’s bold of you,” said Iruka, groaning slightly as he sat upright.
“Kakashi Sensei?!? You’re here?!?” yelled Naruto excitedly, sitting up quickly and jolting Pakkun awake.
“Oh, hey, Naruto! And here you are, Pakkun—still keeping an eye on these two?” The man walked in between the two beds.
“Iruka promised us food at Ichiraku Ramen. I don’t want to miss my chāshū,” the pug replied matter-of-factly, [8] settling back down on the side of Naruto’s bed near where the visitor stood.
“Ah, Iruka Sensei is quite the generous person,” the silver-haired shinobi said with a smile. [9] Iruka’s cheeks turned slightly pink underneath his bandages. “Mind if I join? I’ll pay you back with dinner at Shushu-ya…”[10]
“Shushu-ya?!? Really? Done!”
“Ichiraku AND Shushu-ya?!?” exclaimed Naruto. “I’m eating FINE this week, dattebayo!”
“Ahem.” Kakashi cleared his throat. “That invitation was for Iruka Sensei. I don’t need to pay for any freeloaders.”
Naruto glared at Kakashi, and Pakkun snorted under his breath. They both knew Kakashi was practically an expert at convincing other people to pay for his meals. [11]
“Hey—what’re you hiding behind your back, anyway?” said Naruto, one eyebrow raised in suspicion.
“What? This?” Kakashi produced a potted plant. “I…uh…heard Iruka Sensei was in the hospital, and…I…uh…um…” He grew a little flustered. “Maa…I…um…figured he’d prefer something living to a bunch of murdered flowers.” [12]
“Oh?” said Iruka, surprised. “What is it?”
“It is a succulent colloquially referred to as a ‘ponytail palm.’ I call him Komorebi-san. He reminds me of you!”[13] Kakashi beamed at Iruka.
“Hey! How come you didn’t bring me anything?” whined Naruto.
“Maa…Naruto! Isn’t the presence of my company present enough? Besides, you got yourself into this trouble of your own accord. I’m afraid I…uh...share some responsibility for Iruka’s injuries.”
“Huh? How’s that?” asked Iruka.
“Maa…Sensei, you see…um………I was the one who suggested you for this mission!” Kakashi answered, hoping that by delivering that confession happily and proudly he might avoid triggering Iruka’s wrath.[14]
“What???!!!???”
“I was speaking with Tsunade-sama, and I explained how well-acquainted you were with Mizuki, how successful you and Naruto were at apprehending him previously, and how confident I was that if anybody could bring him back, you could, and she agreed! And then I suggested we send Pakkun—”
“He discussed it with me before he even talked to Hokage-sama,” Pakkun clarified.
“Not a scratch is how I believe you were instructed to return them, Pakkun…”
Iruka frowned and glared at Kakashi. “I am supposed to be retired from field work, remember? And the LAST time we fought Mizuki, I ended up on my stomach in traction for two weeks! And were you aware of his massive power-up? His dealings with Orochimaru?”
“Orochimaru? Seriously?!?” Kakashi looked as legitimately shocked as his cool demeanor would allow.
“And then he turned into a tiger!” added Naruto.
“What happened to you two?”
“Oh, it was going perfectly fine until he EXPLODED a BUILDING and it COLLAPSED ON TOP OF ME!” snapped Iruka.
At the words “collapsed” and “on top of [Iruka],” Kakashi immediately froze, wide-eyed. His heartbeat sped up as he remembered the death of his childhood friend and former teammate Uchiha Obito, who had been crushed under a giant boulder. He stared directly and silently into Iruka’s deep brown eyes.
Iruka’s face and voice softened. “Kakashi Sensei?”
“Do you need to feel my soft paw pad?” Pakkun asked.
Kakashi took one hand off the plant pot and pet Pakkun’s proffered paw pad almost mechanically, inhaling and exhaling slowly. Iruka, trying not to wince as he scooted over on the hospital bed, made room so Kakashi could sit down next to him. Kakashi released Pakkun’s paw and sat, and after a few seconds of silence, he finally said, “Iruka Sensei. I am so sorry. What’s the damage?”
“Not much. Couple of broken ribs, a handful of cuts, and the usual bumps and bruises.”[15]
“And your spine?”
“Miraculously unharmed.”
Kakashi exhaled, relieved. “Glad to hear it. What about you, Naruto?”
“I feel fine, Kakashi Sensei, but Mizuki threw a giant shuriken at Iruka Sensei, and I ran in to block it, because NOBODY hurts Iruka Sensei, and it landed in MY back, just the same way as it landed in Iruka Sensei’s back last time when HE saved ME, and now we’re going to have MATCHING SCARS, dattebayo!”[16]
“Maa… you’re clearly NOT going to be spending two weeks in traction, so I’m not sure about that. It must be the Nine-Tails’ chakra. You might not even scar at all,”
“Awwww! That’s not fair!” complained Naruto, folding his arms and dropping back onto his pillow.
“Naruto was incredibly brave,” stated Iruka. “I am very proud of him. His skills have improved enormously. You trained him well.”
“Maa, it’s only because you gave him such a good start! And his own hard work, of course.”
Naruto smiled and blushed just a little. “Aw, shucks! You two don’t have to embarrass me, dattebayo!”
The two adults and the little dog laughed, Iruka trying not to react to the subsequent rib pain. Kakashi realized he was still holding the ponytail palm. He stood up and turned toward Iruka.
“Maa…uh…I apologize for stopping by so late. I was returning from a mission of my own when I got the word, so I picked up Komorebi-san here and then rushed right over.[17] Here!” He extended his arms to pass the succulent to Iruka and smiled[18].
“Thank you, Kakashi Sensei!” Iruka’s mouth broke into a wide grin, the scar across the bridge of his nose crinkling. The two men smiled at each other for a second or two before Iruka reached forward to accept the gift. As his hands grasped the pot, his fingers brushed against Kakashi’s.
The two men both started, as though they had been shocked by a sudden jolt of electricity, and they almost dropped the plant. As they hurriedly adjusted their grip around the pot, Iruka’s tan hands automatically clenched tighter around Kakashi’s pale fingers. They both blushed.
As Iruka slowly slid his fingers across Kakashi’s to take the plant, Kakashi subtly traced around Iruka’s left pinky with his right, a minuscule action, but one which nevertheless caught Pakkun’s eye and made Iruka’s eyes widen and his breath halt and then quicken. As the pair stared intently at each other, Kakashi’s right eye changing from puppy dog-like expectancy to confident acceptancy, the pug noticed something else: an almost imperceptibly faint thin beam of glowing rose-colored light seemed to emanate from Iruka’s little finger. It moved and swirled, smoke-like, as though it were searching for something. He spotted a similar light, but redder, extending from Kakashi’s pinky.
As the two shinobi’s fingers softly interacted, the two beams of light twirled around each other, at first hesitantly, as if they were sizing each other up. Then, they spiraled around each other, soaring and swooping and curling in an intricate dance, Iruka’s beam growing redder.
Pakkun had never seen anything like this. It appeared to be some sort of special chakra, but it didn’t seem to align with any of the standard chakra natures. Then, the two beams touched and fused into one crimson strand that connected Kakashi and Iruka, growing longer as their hands separated.
The Red String of Fate! Pakkun blinked several times to see if it was an illusion, but the faint red luminescent thread continued to glow. He inhaled forcefully through his nose. Compassion. Hesitation. Fear. Longing. Curiosity. Connection. Trust. Anticipation. Affection. Desire. Love.
Love! No doubt about it. His olfactory senses definitely picked up the notes of early love, like snowmelt meeting sunlight. His sixth scent told him that this was the real deal, that he was watching heartstrings connect in real time.[19]
“Naruto!” the dog whispered. “Look carefully! The little fingers! The little fingers!” He held up his paw.
“Ugh, not this again! “
“The string! The string!” Pakkun motioned for Naruto to look closer at his senseis, but by that point Iruka was already turning away, placing the small ponytail palm on the table next to him, and no matter how much he squinted, Naruto couldn’t see any string.
“There’s nothing there, Pakkun, so…hold on a second! Are you trying to tell me you think Iruka Sensei and Kakashi Sensei are—”
“Naruto? What are you two talking about?”
“Uh, nothing!”
“Maa…I…guess…I should…um…I should probably head home,” Kakashi stammered, the bits of epidermis showing above his mask still rubescent. Then, falling back into his cool, slightly cheeky persona, he continued, “I do still have to fill out a report on today’s mission, after all. I understand the surly, overly-critical chūnin in the mission office who usually takes my reports is currently out on medical leave, so I figure if I finish it tonight, I can turn it in tomorrow and avoid getting yelled at.” He winked at Iruka.
“Hatake Kakashi submitting a mission report on time?!?” Iruka bantered, a sly smirk on his face and a glint in his eyes. “Now that’s something I’d LOVE to see! Such a pity I’ll still be stuck here in the hospital. On medical leave…”
“Oh, that is a pity,” Kakashi responded, with faux disappointment.
“I’ll be out of the hospital tomorrow morning!” piped Naruto. “So, I’ll make sure Kakashi Sensei turns in his report on time, Iruka Sensei, dattebayo!”
“Come to think of it,” remarked Iruka, eyes still glinting. “Since I was appointed leader of our mission, thanks to Kakashi Sensei, it appears I also have a mission report to complete.[20] So…perhaps if he were to…stop by again tomorrow, we could…work on our reports together and I could…demonstrate…how to do it properly in the first place?”
“Oh?” responded Kakashi. “And what, exactly, would you demonstrate?”
“Oh, you know,” Iruka replied, seemingly not biting.[21] “Proper grammar, handwriting, format, content. The basics—everything your reports usually lack.”
Kakashi snorted. “All right, then. I suppose I could manage to drag myself out of bed and find my way back over here tomorrow. Though you never know, Iruka Sensei, perhaps there are a few things I might be able to teach you.” He winked again.
Iruka turned bright red[22].
“About mission reports, of course,” Kakashi said, attempting to help Iruka save face, which only served to embarrass him more.
Clearing his throat and regaining his composure, Iruka retorted, “And what, exactly, would you know about mission reports that you think I don’t?”[23]
“How to attract the attention of the surly chūnin at the mission desk,” Kakashi deadpanned. “See you tomorrow, Iruka Sensei. Naruto, you say you’re being released in the morning?”
Naruto, bewildered, first by the intensity of this mundane conversation about mission reports and, second by the sudden change in temperament and topic, responded, “Yeah, they want to keep an eye on me overnight, just in case, but that’s it.”
“Excellent!” replied Kakashi. He and Iruka caught each other’s eyes. “Just what I wanted to hear! Pakkun, you coming with me? I promise to make sure Iruka Sensei makes good on his promise to treat you to Ichiraku.”
The dog looked at Naruto, then at Iruka, and then hopped from Naruto’s bed onto Kakashi’s shoulder. “Yeah, all right, but only to make sure you keep your commitment to come back here tomorrow.”
Now that Pakkun knew Kakashi and Iruka were soulmates, he was not about to let Kakashi chicken out of the best thing to ever happen to him. Watching the two of them, he wondered why his sixth scent didn’t pick up on any of this before. It seemed so obvious, in houndsight! The way Kakashi spoke about Iruka and trusted Iruka and sought to protect Iruka and…was just generally different when it came to anything having to do with Iruka—Pakkun now wondered just how long the man had been harboring these feelings! He’d known Kakashi since he was a pup—other than the Icha Icha books, Kakashi had always seemed so indifferent to romance, even though he positively reeked of general loneliness and longing. Kakashi was a messy bundle of trauma and loss—a stray, bedraggled, matted mutt who wouldn’t let anyone get too close.[24] Had Kakashi been aware of his own growing feelings for Iruka? Had he been trying to bury them like a dog buries bones? Kakashi had lost so many loved ones, and Pakkun knew he felt tremendous guilt and responsibility for their loss—maybe he was afraid that loving someone again would mean putting them in danger? If that was the case, what changed to make him finally risk love, especially now that Iruka had been injured on a mission on which Kakashi felt responsible for sending him?
And, naturally, Iruka had his own issues with loss and betrayal and feelings of low self-worth—if Pakkun’s understanding of what he saw with the heartstrings was correct, this was probably the first time the young teacher had ever recognized Kakashi’s intentions for what they were.[25] But Iruka was a big-hearted human with an enormous amount of love to give. If anyone could break through Kakashi’s walls, he could! Of course they were the perfect match!
Pakkun’s sixth scent told him that although it would be a long, challenging road ahead for the two fate-touched shinobi lovebirds, they would make it work and work well in the long run, and their relationship would be stronger for it. He sensed that Iruka would be able to brush out Kakashi’s tangled emotional mats, and that once he did, he’d find the intensely loyal, devoted, and trustworthy companion he deserved and had never had. Besides, he, Pakkun, would be there to help keep them on track.
As he and Kakashi left the hospital room, Pakkun looked back to see Iruka waving goodbye to them with cheerful eyes and then watched Kakashi break out into beautiful, spontaneous, uncharacteristically mirthful laughter once they cleared the building, the thin red chakra string continuing to adjust between the two soulmates, traveling through doors and walls to find the shortest possible distance between them. Yes, this was a good match! Yes, this was true love! Yes, this was destiny! When they reached Kakashi’s place, the small pug jumped down and trotted inside with his head held high and curly tail wagging vigorously, proud that he’d kept his faith in the Red String of Fate, and absolutely overjoyed at the surprisingly perfect pairing of his two most favorite humans.
[1] Touching paws should really be done with consent. Fortunately, Pakkun was already acquainted with Iruka and had developed a fondness for the pup…er…young man, so he expected he would forgive Kakashi’s indiscretion, though judging from the chūnin’s degree of shock when he suddenly found Pakkun in his palm, he wasn’t sure Iruka would.
[2] Attempted murderer of Iruka and Naruto, that is. Actual murderer of a former teammate.
[3] Soulmate. Folk tales and legends abounded regarding the Red String of Fate that connects the heartstrings of couples destined to be true lovers. It was thought that a subconscious chakra signal from the heart sent out through the pinky finger formed an unbreakable string when it found and connected with that of one’s soulmate.
[4] Sure, Iruka was around kids all day, but that’s not that same as having someone to come home to. Pakkun had never heard Iruka say he was lonely, of course, but he had a nose for these things.
[5] Orochimaru had devastated both Iruka’s and Naruto’s worlds. That snake was responsible for the death of the Third Hokage, Iruka’s mentor and erstwhile foster father figure, and had taken Naruto’s best friend and teammate, Uchiha Sasuke, far from Konoha for who-knew-what sort of nefarious purposes.
[6] He was only a small dog, after all. His skills lay in tracking and observation, not combat.
[7] But somebody other than Iruka. She was definitely not his type. Not that Pakkun knew what Iruka’s type was, of course (nor for that matter, did Iruka—if he even had one), but that was irrelevant in the face of Pakkun’s protectionism and sudden Very Special Interest in Iruka’s romantic life. Whomever it was would now certainly have to meet a nearly-impossibly high bar.
[8] While that was true enough, Pakkun was also enjoying Naruto’s and Iruka’s company. And the hospital food, while not as good as the anticipated Ichiraku chāshū, wasn’t bad.
[9] Even though he always wore a mask over the lower half of his face and usually kept his left eye covered with his hitai-ate, Kakashi’s right eye was generally quite capable of conveying his intended expression all by itself.
[10] A fancier restaurant/pub with its own much-heralded in-house sake.
[11] And drinks…and tickets…and fees…but mostly just as a joke. Kakashi could be quite generous when he wanted to be.
[12] Generous…and even thoughtful!
[13] And sometimes even downright sentimental. The resemblance between the plant’s tuft of dangling leaves and Iruka’s hairstyle was straightforward enough, but Kakashi’s reference to “sunlight filtering through the trees” was practically poetic—and personally private.
[14] As a person who felt everything deeply, Iruka was known to occasionally have a bit of a temper. He was never violent, but he could sure yell! While there were certainly times Kakashi positively enjoyed riling him up (usually by teasing/embarrassing him), what he absolutely did NOT want to do was trigger Iruka’s “Moral Wrath.” He figured he’d best come clean about his hand in getting Iruka on that mission—the aftermath would be that much worse if Iruka found out later from another source. Plus, he did feel genuinely terrible and personally responsible for putting Iruka in a situation that caused him injury.
[15] It was actually five broken ribs, a dislocated shoulder, and a concussion Iruka hoped was mild.
[16] He might as well have said they were going to get matching tattoos.
[17] Pakkun knew this couldn’t be entirely true, and his sixth scent told him something was up. Kakashi smelled squeaky clean, which he never did after a mission. He’d apparently taken the time to shower and change his uniform, and judging from the wafting aroma of hinoki and amber that hadn’t been present until he was, he’d even managed to wash and dry his hair!
[18] The truth was, Tsunade had been the one to tell him Iruka and Naruto had been successful but were in the hospital, though she didn’t give him much detail beyond that. Kakashi was ready to race directly there, but Tsunade ordered him to wait a little while so they could rest following treatment. If one were to ask her, she would deny hinting that Kakashi should avail himself of the opportunity to make himself more presentable. And she most certainly did not wink at him while doing so.
[19] This all happened over the course of mere seconds, but as any pair of lovers can attest, there are moments when time appears to stop, and this was one of them.
[20] Two, actually, as Iruka was just reporting in from finishing a previous, less-dangerous, mission when Kakashi summoned Pakkun, and then Tsunade sent them off to find Mizuki before he had a chance to even think about writing and submitting an official report. Notably, this also could be considered to be partially Kakashi’s fault.
[21] Kakashi wasn’t quite sure at this point whether Iruka wasn’t taking the bait because he was oblivious or because he was being sensitive of certain (underage) company…or if Iruka was just trolling him.
[22] “Oh, good!” thought Kakashi. “Bait definitely taken.”
[23]Truthfully, Iruka and Kakashi were mostly talk. While Iruka certainly knew the ins and outs of writing, collecting, and correcting mission reports, he had less experience with requited human romance than a blade of grass*, and the breadth of Kakashi’s knowledge largely encompassed whatever he picked up from reading Icha Icha novels or overheard in the locker room during his Anbu days. And honestly, considering Iruka’s injuries and Kakashi’s respect that Iruka’s pain meds (and concussion) might impair his ability to consent, anyway, they likely wouldn’t engage in anything more exciting than hand-holding and maaaybe Kakashi planting a gentle kiss on Iruka’s forehead while brushing his hair. That doesn’t mean that later on in their relationship they’d be opposed to, say, role-playing patient and medic…
*Some blades of grass have, of course, been privy to more than enough human romance, from being trampled on by sweethearts walking hand in hand to being rolled over by more…uh…amorous couples.
[24] Not even his best-friend-since-childhood Maito Gai, whose devoted concern and overabundant zest for life was a major reason Kakashi’s head was still somewhat above water.
[25] How did Iruka finally catch on? Was it the sweet gesture with the plant? Or was it the pain medicine the hospital nin had him on? More than likely, it was the concussion…