#irukaxoc

[xo-queenievee-xo]

Orohime/Iruka

[seafoamtaffy]

Amusement Park Date

Author’s Note: It’s Day 2 of CanonxOCweek2022! Today’s prompt is an Amusement Park Date. This time, we have some IrukaxOC action going on...with a twist!

Recommended order of reading:

Introduction, Confession, Jealousy, Argument, and Amusement Park Date (here).

Setting: Modern day, yakuza AU.

She waited near the entrance of the loud attraction. Children of varying ages weaved through the crowds of stationary adults, their ear-piercing screams enough to affirm Danya’s decision to avoid having one of her own. Clumsy mascots with gigantic, dead-pan stares tried to cheer up wailing infants but couldn’t figure out why their dances weren’t working. Even outside the gates, a wonderful aroma of fried foods and burnt sugar filled the air, making the sunny day more enjoyable. Metal growled in the distance as rides sped along their tracks, eliciting delighted screams from the passengers on them.   

The detective, Iruka, wanted to meet here; much to her surprise.

Danya had tried to dress modestly, but her distorted reflection in the wavy mirrors made her second-guess every decision. A tan, long-sleeved turtleneck somehow felt too revealing, her blue jeans now felt too tight, and she worried her dark brown boots wouldn’t stop her feet from aching. 

She picked at her fingernails as she waited for her date to show, but even she used the term lightly. Iruka had texted earlier in the week to check-in on her. When she had admitted that the events at The Velvet Lounge had made her mind uneasy, he offered to pay for lunch. But first, he wanted to take her somewhere to “loosen up” first. If she had known he wanted to meet at an amusement park, she would have suggested elsewhere. 

But despite the uncomfortable knot in her stomach, she was thankful to be somewhere else. Ever since Kisame’s run-in with a ricocheted bullet, her mind had been a mess of what to do next. Kisame had been one of the gentlest men she’d met, but his career choice was an issue. Should she go take the risk and go out with a mobster? How much danger would she face daily? How much danger was she already in since she started working at the bar?

Red images conjured from her mind stole her attention. The smell of iron still haunted her nostrils, catching her off-guard every time it reappeared. 

“He’s lucky it wasn’t deep. The bullet didn’t even make it past the muscle tissue.” A nurse whispered from her memory. Her hands shook at her sides as she rubbed the clean digits against her hips, terrified she had missed a speck of blood from beneath her nails. The phone in her back pocket felt heavy, and she debated whether she should text the recovering man in question. 

“Da-chan?” A soft, masculine voice cut through the loud buzz of her thoughts. “Have you been waiting for long?” 

Her eyes went to the long scar running across the bridge of his nose. She would’ve lost him in the crowd had it not been for the discernable feature. 

“Oh. No, not long at all.” She said.

Iruka greeted her with a soft smile. His brown hair, normally pulled back into a short ponytail, was down. The striped button-up was completely open, showing off the white undershirt tucked into his pants. It was now she realized just how… in shape the detective was. His normal uniform had done a fantastic job of keeping everything hidden. 

“Oh, good.” He said through another smile. “Did you get your ticket yet?”

“Well, no,” she admitted. “I wanted to find you. Good thing too. You’re different without ponytail.”

His shoulders shook when he chuckled, a disappointing sight compared to when his ponytail would bounce about from the action. “Yeah, well. It’s not often I can let my hair down, ya know?” They walked to the booth, and he purchased both tickets before she could reach for her card.

“You didn’t have to do that,” she hissed. 

“It’s just some tickets.” He assured.

“Fine, but I’ll get lunch.”

“No, you won’t. I said I would take care of it.”

“Detective—”

“You don’t need to be so formal. You can just call me Iruka.” His smile made the knot in her stomach tighten. She must’ve made a face. He leaned closer and reached out for her. “Hey, are you okay?”

“It’s just—I, uh…” She stepped away and struggled for the right words, even in her own language. The growing guilt now gnawed at the back of her head and her phone shifted in her pocket. “Haven’t done this in a while.” She lied.

His cheeks flushed. “If it makes you feel better, neither have I. Who’d have thought work and a kid would take up all my free time?”

“You have a kid?” She asked, bewildered at the statement.

His hands went into his pockets, and they walked casually through the growing crowds, already looking for a respite from the masses. “Yeah. I was close with his parents. When they passed—,” he stopped. Dark eyes darted about in thought until he resigned to a simple explanation. “I felt obligated to take care of him.”

“That’s very kind of you.” She said. 

The smile he tried to use could not hide the unsure tone in his voice as he continued. “He can be a brat, but it’s not his fault. There’s no book on how to be a good father. Well, I mean there are but it—i-it’s just harder than it looks.”

Kids squealed at the big-headed mascots and yanked on the arms of their parents. Some were in the middle of full-blown tantrums as their irritated guardians hauled them away. Peppered in the chaos, she saw them; parents carrying armfuls of prizes and covered head-to-head in merch, struggling to keep up with their beaming children burdened only with a balloon tied safely to their little wrists. But regardless of how ridiculous they looked, the parents continued to beam at their little one, no doubt swimming in the joyful memory they had just made together. 

The knot in her gut coiled tighter.

“Shouldn’t your kid be here?” She asked. “Why take me?”

A nervous laugh came from his strained smile. “Well, funny story. My kid is here. He’s just off with some friends.”

“Without adult? It’s allowed?” 

“Oh yeah, he’ll be fine,” he assured with a wave. “He’s thirteen. He can take care of himself.”

She felt the blood leave her face. The man doesn't know how much chaos a teenager can cause. “Y-you sure?”

He nodded and gestured for to follow him into the crowd. “C’mon. We should try to have a good time.”

It took her longer than usual to get her feet to move. There was something off about him today. His smile was genuine enough, but something bubbled beneath the dark pools of his eyes. But what remained hidden, she couldn’t quite tell, was such a stark contrast to the blue mobster she had grown accustomed to. 

Kisame’s silent ques were easy enough for her to decipher. The man loved the truth so much she was certain he was incapable of lying. To see shadows of deceit flicker over the detective’s face sent an icy shiver down her spine.  

And his choice of conversation only sealed her reservations. “So, uh… how was your day?” 

“Fine. Yours?” She strained.

“It’s alright.” 

What riveting conversation. 

Steel clamored together as a ride flew along its quaking tracks, accompanied by high-pitched screams. The rumble shook her bones and made heart raced from the unexpected sensation. She watched as the secure carts twisted and flipped in circles, much to the delight of the passengers. 

“Could you imagine riding that thing?” He gawked next to her. I don't know how they do it.”

A wonderfully terrible idea lit her resolve. She was determined to have fun if she was stuck in an amusement park. 

“We’re going on.”

“Excuse me?”

Without another word, she snatched his wrist and dragged him through the attraction’s entrance. It was a mean idea. An abhorrent thing to do. But there was no better ice breaker than fear-fueled adrenaline. The detective protested, but unfortunately for him, the line was short and soon; they were the next ones waiting to board. 

“Are you really gonna make me do this?” He frowned when the little gates creaked open. 

“Perfectly safe.” She gave him an encouraging push forward. “And fun! I promise.” She jumped into her seat and tried to stop her hands from shaking as she pulled the bar down.

The color drained from his face once his bar locked to the satisfaction of the begrudged employee. Bells chirped at the all-clear, the security gates closed, and the wheels churned slowly forward.

Gears and machines cranked and churned as they creeped up onto a steep track. She peered over the side and watched as the world below became smaller and smaller. The closer they got to the peak, the harder her heart thumped in her chest. 

Iruka, however, was as stiff as a tree. His head pressed into the back of the seat, determined to keep as still as possible. Both hands gripped the safety bars until his knuckles turned white. 

“Have you done this before?” She hollered over the sound of metal.

He chanced a look at her before snapping his attention forward again. “It’s a little late to say ‘no’, isn’t it?” 

“You’re fine. Just breathe.” 

Click-click-click. The ride slowed down as it neared its destination.

His chest rose and fell in quick succession as the carts crept over the high curve. “I-I can’t do this. I can’t do this.” He squeezed his eyes shut and his jaw clenched tightly, bracing himself for what was to come.

“Iruka!” she hollered at him, throwing in a tinge of fear to her tone to catch his attention.

His eyes shot open, and he snapped his head over to her. “What?”

She couldn’t stop the smile that crept over her face. “Breathe.” 

Before her words could sink in, the entire cart dropped. Screams filled the air as the wind rushed over her face. Hair whipped in every direction and the sound of roaring metal drowned out the passengers. She tried to check in on him, but the force of acceleration kept her head firmly in place. 

Every sharp turn or sudden loop-de-loop elicited a fresh wave of screams, but she could not discern his cries from the rest. The moment the ride slowed, she peeked over at him and saw only a gnarled mess of deep brown hair. She threw a hand over her mouth the moment laughter came out.

The brakes squealed, and the carts jostled to a halt. Pistons hissed as the safety bars lifted, freeing the whooping passengers from their seats. Iruka wobbled on his feet, taking hesitant steps off the ride as he tried to part the mess of hair from view. 

She swore to herself and caught up to him quickly. “You alright?” She asked. 

Fingers struggled with the thick locks until they were tame and out of the way once more. He stared at her with wide eyes, his lips a thin, hard line against his face. She braced herself for an explosion of rage, her eyes darting for the nearest exit.

A big, child-like grin nearly took up his entire face. “You wanna go again?”

Her muscles relaxed, and she allowed herself to smile at the first sign of sincerity from him. “Oh, yeah.”

They went on the rollercoaster two more times. They would’ve gone for a third round if the line hadn’t grown unbearably long. 

“Feel better?” She asked. Her limbs continued to quiver from the rush of adrenaline as they walked away from the attraction.

He nodded. “But uh, I think that’ll be enough for me today.” Before she could start some friendly banter, he gestured to a food stand. “You want lunch?”

“Sure!” she said. Any reservation she of him paying had left.  

They stood in line patiently, muttering to one another about what looked good. In the silence, she realized just how normal this all felt. She was out in the day with a decent man, not because of his appearance, but for his career choice. They didn’t have to worry about sinister whispers, about bad people plotting his demise. Well, perhaps some people wanted him dead, but for very different reasons. 

She took a deep breath to calm her racing heart and the writhing knot of guilt. The man was still a cop of sorts. And, sometimes, the worst people were the ones enforcing the law. 

During her self-contemplation, he had placed and paid for their order. As they waited, she watched him type on his phone.

“Your boy?” She asked.

“Hm?” He perked up.

She nodded at the phone. “Your kid. You’re checking him?”

He looked at the device and the shadows from earlier returned to his eyes. “Oh, yeah. He’s fine. They’re about to hop on a ride now.”

Her eyes narrowed, but she tried her best to ignore it. It was probably something top-secret and work related, anyway. When they were called to collect their food, her senses perked, and she was all too eager to grab her plastic plate. 

The moment they found a table, she chowed down on the fried meal. There was a lot of grease, but she didn’t care. She was just happy to have something else other than butter-rice and soy sauce. 

After a few mouthfuls, she finally slowed down and wiped her mouth clean with a napkin. “Thank you,” she said the moment she had an empty mouth. “This is most fun I’ve had in long time.”

“I’m glad I could make your day a little better.” He said through a soft smile. The food on his plate had remained untouched. 

“You won’t eat?” She asked around a mouthful of food.

He pulled out his phone again, his eyes glued to the screen as he spoke. “I will soon. But uh, do you wanna talk about what happened?”

She stopped mid-bite and scrunched her brow together. “With rollercoaster? Thought you had fun.”

“N-no, not that,” he grumbled as his fingers struggled to type on the screen. “I mean at The Velvet Lounge.”

A little huff came from as she fought back the flashes of red and blue. “Nah, not really.” 

As she took another bite, he finally accomplished his task. The device slid forward, and on the screen was a display that reminded her of an old-fashioned tape recorder. The food in her mouth suddenly turned tasteless, and a heaviness weighed down on her shoulders.

She met his dark gaze, and the shadows that had haunted him suddenly made sense. This wasn’t even a friend-date. 

“Da-chan,” he started. “I just want your side of it.”

“It’s in report,” she said, keeping her tone hard and even. “Told police everything already.”

He sighed and rubbed his forehead. “I want your side of it without their influence.”

“Hm? What?” She leaned forward and cupped her ear toward him. Then she clicked her tongue and threw her hands up in feigned defeat. “Sorry. Can’t understand what you say. Guess you read report instead.”

He frowned as she got up to leave. “Da-chan—” 

“Danya-san,” she corrected him with a wag of her finger. “Go be with your son, Detective.” He called out to her as she stormed off, but she let her middle finger speak on her behalf. 

Any warmth or joy from today was gone, soiled by his deceit. The phone in her back pocket moved with every step, demanding her attention. As she pushed past the exit gates, she pulled the device from its hiding place and dialed the only number that mattered. Her heart raced with every ring and her fingers would not stop shaking from the rush of emotion flooding her veins.

“Hello?” The sound of Kisame’s distorted voice made her heart stop. Her resolved dropped and her eyes stung from the salty tears brimming.

“H-hey,” she choked out, wincing at how pathetic she sounded. She cleared her voice and tried again. “Hey. You okay today?”

Even through the phone, she could hear his concern. “As fine as I can be. What about you? Is something wrong?”

The guilt had made its home in her throat. She tried to swallow the ball down, but it wouldn’t budge. “I need to talk face-to-face.”

“I’ll be ready by the time you get here. Do you need the address?”

“No, I have. But… I don’t think you’ll be happy with my words.”

There was silence on the other end, and her heart pounded in her ears. Why did she agree to come here? Why did she agree to go anywhere with a detective? The whole thing had been foolish. Now, she may lose the one person who seemed to give a shit about her.

And it would all be her fault.

“I can make my own conclusions,” he finally spoke. “Just get here safe and I’ll hear everything.”

She took a shaky inhale at the response. “Thank you. I’ll let you know when I’m close.” When he gave an affirmative grunt, she hung up the phone. 

It was a good start, but their discussion had hardly begun. Old fears solidified from past traumas popped to her head, laying out the foundation of what she should expect. Before the nasty omens could overwhelm her, she calmed the storm with deep inhales and affirming exhales. When her body had stopped shaking and her heart had calmed, she picked apart the ominous foundation laid before her.

Iruka, he was supposed to be a trusted member of. There had been no reason for him to keep his true intentions today. But if he had been forthcoming from the start, she wouldn’t be upset. Now, it was clear the detective didn’t want to trust her. Kisame may have deceived her in terms of his choice of career, but she understood why he had hidden it. Whenever they had time together, he had been honest and open to her; ready to give her trust like a warm blanket on a chilly night.

The monster was the lesser evil.

[sufferthesea]

Hanging by a Moment

A/N: So @shiranuigenma​ encouraged me to post the 1st (rewritten twice) chapter of my IrukaxOC fanfic on here. And @pyroinquisitor and I cried about Iruka a week or so ago. :’) 

The first version was originally published in 2008 on Quizilla under the username aikalovesong.  Forgive me for grammatical or spelling errors. 

Also on ao3 and FFN 

Chapter One: The Good, The Bad and the Dirty

High School AU - Iruka Umino x OC 

Warnings: None

Word Count: 2.437

Akimi took up the sixth and final seat at the outside table for lunch, quietly greeting the group. Four others - Izumo, Kurenai, Hayate, and Kotetsu - returned her greeting but the fifth was concentrating on fishing out a piece of tofu from his soup. When Akimi sat down next to him, he glanced up and dropped the piece back into the broth, splashing himself in the face.

“Ah! Akimi-chan!” Iruka sputtered, setting his bowl down and reaching for a napkin to wipe his chin. “What are you doing here? I thought you were sitting over there.” He motioned towards another table where six others were sitting - including a brunette girl whose face was turned away. The other girl turned and he saw that it wasn’t a girl - it was Genma, who had similar shoulder-length hair as Akimi. Blushing hotly he muttered, “I-I meant over there,” and pointed towards a different table. Everyone turned to look and saw that the only person sitting there was another boy.

“Jeez, Iruka, I didn’t think she looked that much like a boy,” Kotetsu said teasingly.

“Nevermind!” Iruka replied, hiding his face behind his milk carton.

“Hey guys,” came a serious voice behind them. They turned to see Anko, a rather tomboyish and brazen girl with her dark hair pulled into a wild bun. She passed by them offering a playful smirk to the boys of the table before moving on to an empty seat across the patio.

“Did you see that?” Izumo said, turning to smack Kotetsu square in the chest. “She looked at me!”

“She looked at me,” Kotetsu replied, hitting Izumo in the stomach.

“Actually,” Kurenai cut in, her voice soft but very serious, “I think she was looking at Iruka.”

“Wh-What? No she wasn’t! I mean - she may have been. But we’re in different classes - I don’t think she even knows me! Why would she —?”

Izumo and Kotetsu exchanged looks before picking up the small bowls of mixed veggies and dumping it onto their rice.

“I’m only teasing, Iruka,” Kurenai said, throwing a glance at the boy beside her. “We all know what class she’s in. I’m sure she’s just trying to get a rise out of one of you, catch you off guard. You shouldn’t fall for it. Also, Iruka, did you have notes on today’s lesson?”

“Oh, yes!” the boy replied, grateful for the shift in conversation. “I have them in my bag. I can give them to you after school.”

“That would be wonderful, thank you.”

“Do you think I could borrow them too?” Hayate asked, raising his hand to his mouth and coughing violently.

“Of course! I can copy them for you if you want.”

“Hey - what’s this talk about copying? You guys aren’t cheating are you?”

The six of them turned to see the fourth year’s teacher, Jiraiya, standing over them. His mouth was pointed in a frown but they could tell he was joking. He eyed them suspiciously and pointed a finger at Iruka who shrunk back, his milk carton still in his hands.

“You’re the last person I would expect to be cheating! But I guess every student has their weakness. I’m surprised it’s you two that are the ones taking his notes too,” Jiraiya continued, looking at Hayate and Kurenai in turn. “I thought for sure you two would be the ones to understand my teaching! I mean, there are a few other kids in this class I could understand cheating …” He glanced around the outdoor seating and frowned genuinely this time. “There are so many … Oh! I’m sorry.” Jiraiya crossed his arms and looked at Akimi who was hidden behind Iruka, unsure of what was happening. “I didn’t meant to be rude. You’re not in my class. How do you know my lovely  students?”

Before she could even open her mouth to answer, he made a face and said, “Wait, are you Iruka’s younger sister?”

Iruka whipped around, wide-eyed and sputtered, “N-No! She’s not my sister! Why would you think that!”

“Jeez, kid, lighten up - you look like you could related. Cousins? Distantly? You’ve both got pretty dark hair and you’re both pretty tan.”

“She’s kind of lighter than I am - a-and we don’t look that similar! We’re not related. You shouldn’t say stuff like that, you could start a rumor!”

“What? A rumor that you’re related?” Jiraiya deadpanned and the corner of his lip twitched, “Is that such a bad thing? It’s pretty harmless. I mean, there are plenty of worse things you could be upset about. Besides, she looks like a nice kid. You should take it as a compliment.”

Blushing slightly, Akimi sat up and gave an awkward smile to the teacher. “No, I’m not related - er, I don’t have any siblings or cousins, really. At least not here. I walk home the same way as all of them, so I’ve run into them a few times. Plus Hayate and I live really close to each other! We grew up in the same neighborhood.”

“Really? That’s nice.” Jiraiya paused, surveyed the group, and then raised a hand to his mouth to mimic whispering. “Tell me, whose your favorite? You have to have a favorite, right? I won’t tell them. Personally, I think Izumo and Kotetsu are really annoying —”

“We know you do,” Kotetsu interrupted.

“We think you’re annoying too,” Izumo added.

“— but they don’t know that. You don’t have to choose a favorite from this group. Do you know any of my other students?”

Akimi looked around the open area and spotted a few other kids she knew who were the same age as her friends - Anko, Genma, and Raidou were a few of them. She had seen them on her walks home from school as well, but she hadn’t talked to any of them much other than the one time during her first year at Konoha High School when she’d faceplanted on the front steps and accidentally vaulted her bookbag over the side railing, down into the grass. Genma had been walking behind her, talking with his friend Raidou, and they both tripped over her and fell over. Raidou ended up rolling down the steps and Genma was halfway between amused and annoyed at the whole situation, but he helped Akimi stand up and told her, “It’s okay, we all trip over ourselves sometimes. Just don’t do it again.” Anko was passing by when she saw the whole thing and helped pick up Akimi’s scattered papers and returned the bookbag to her. The first-year was so flustered and horrified that she decided she could never speak to those three ever again, even if they had been kind to her. But she had the feeling that every time they saw her, they only imagined a huge neon sign pointing down at her saying KLUTZ!

There was one other she knew shared the same grade as the others, but she didn’t know if Jiraiya was his teacher or not. Her cheeks turned a rosy shade of pink at the thought of him and she shook her head.

“J-Just a few!” she replied, realizing she looked quite silly saying nothing. “I couldn’t choose favorites … That’s not very nice!”

“So what? I have a favorite,” Jiraiya responded evenly, looking a bit proud of himself.

“What? Who?” Kotetsu asked, puzzled. “Should you even be telling us this?”

“You’re right - I shouldn’t. But I’ll give you a hint - it’s none of you!” He laughed and turned to leave before wheeling around again, startling the group. “Wait - I never got your name! What is it?”

“Huh? Oh! It’s Akimi - Kono Akimi.”

“Akimi, huh? What grade are you in, Akimi?”

“I’m a 2nd year student.”

“Just a 2nd year? I know a few of the 2nd years around here. Do you know that one kid - what’s his name? The kinda weird one with the eyes.”

“Uh - Gaara?”

“Yeah! Him! What do you think about him?”

“He’s …” She paused to look at the expressions of everyone around her. She gave a quick, breathy laugh and said, “He’s nice enough to me. Why do you ask?”

“With my luck, I’ll have his siblings next year, and him the year after that. I’m just wondering what I can expect from him. He’s very quiet.”

“Y-Yes, he is. But I don’t think it’s because - er, well, I suppose everyone has a reason for being the way they are. Some people are quiet. Uhm … but he’s a good student.”

“Huh … Did Hiruzen tell you that? I mean, the whole thing about everyone has a reason for being the way they are. Did you learn that from him?”

“Ah, yes! How did you know?”

Jiraiya smiled knowingly and shrugged. “I’ve been a teacher here for a while now. I know just about every teaching method there is - and I was once a student, too. I won’t admit how long ago because that’ll give away my age - and if I give away my age, I give away Lady Tsunade’s age too and she’d kill me! But let’s just say once upon a time, I was given the exact same speech by Hiruzen-sensei. I think we all were … Anyway, I’ve got to get back to the class before lunch is over. I’ll see you around!” He strutted off, his white hair swaying carelessly behind him.

There was a silence at the table as everyone poked at their food. Akimi pushed a piece of chicken into her bowl of rice with her chopsticks. “He seemed nice,” she said, not quite sure if it was the right thing to say.

“Yeah, nice enough,” Izumo retorted. He jabbed a finger towards the table across the patio and said, “You see those kids over there? Anko, Asuma, Genma and Raidou? They’re part of Lady Tsunade’s class.”

“Uhm … okay. Is that bad?” Akimi asked, looking over towards the table.

“Well, you see …” Kotetsu said slowly, “Lady Tsunade and Jiraiya-sensei have a kind of long-standing rivalry. They each try to get their students to have the best grades on tests, best performances in sports, best looking too … They don’t want us really talking to kids from each other’s class, so that’s why we’re all sitting at different tables. That’s why it was kind of weird that Anko said ‘hi’ to us. I mean, not that I minded -”

“As if she’d go for someone like you,” Izumo huffed.

“Also,” Kotetsu ignored his friend and motioned towards the student with a silky bowl cut and thick eyebrows, “that’s Gai. He’s in our class - that’s why he’s not sitting with the others.”

“He looks so alone!” Akimi cried, seeing that Gai was sitting by himself. “Did I take his seat? I didn’t mean to!”

“Oh, don’t worry about him,” Kurenai cut in. “He likes to sit alone to study and, well, I guess to try to be the best. But he’ll join us sometime later.”

“That’s not the thing, though,” Kotetsu said. “Gai is in our class, but Lady Tsunade has a kid in her class and he and Gai have it out for each other!”

“Gai calls him his ‘eternal rival’,” Izumo said, rolling his eyes. “They’re always doing dumb competitions, seeing who is better. This means that our classes are even more competitive than usual. Not only are Lady Tsunade and Jiraiya-sensei at each other’s throats, but so are some of their students! It can get pretty ugly.”

“Since you’ve already befriended us,” Hayate said through coughs, “and you’ve met with Jiraiya-sensei, it’d be best to stay away from Lady Tsunade and her class.”

“Unless you want to unleash the true fury of Lady Tsunade,” Kotetsu said. “Or of Jiraiya-sensei. Someone or another will probably accuse you of being a ‘spy’ if you befriend both classes.”

“What?” the girl exclaimed, looking bewilderedly at each student in turn. “So I can’t talk to anyone from Lady Tsunade’s class? How - How do I even know who all of them are? I’ve already met a few of them! I met them before I met you guys! I mean, not that I talk to them, but …”

“Just to be on the safe side, maybe you should only talk to us,” Izumo said, though his voice was teasing. “Tell you what - there is one person you personally should stay away from, and they also happen to be in Lady Tsunade’s class.”

“Huh? Who?”

Izumo glanced over towards Gai’s table. Everyone’s gaze shifted too and they saw Gai leap to his feet and point rigidly at the boy passing by his table, a stone-faced, silver-haired student who looked absolutely bored.

“Hatake Kakashi.”

Akimi’s face flushed red and she looked down at her milk - so he was part of Tsunade’s class. That meant she couldn’t talk to him? “K-Kakashi-san? But I sometimes see him too when I walk home! Am I supposed to ignore him? What’s so bad about him?”

Iruka huffed and set his chopsticks down on his tray. “I think I’m going to head back into the classroom. Kurenai, Hayate, you needed my notes right? I can start copying them and give them to you after school.” He stood, taking his tray with him. “I’ll see you around, Akimi.”

“Ah! Goodbye, Iruka —!”

The brown-haired boy scurried off, his eyes down and his shoulders slumped.

“We should probably head inside too,” Kurenai said, glancing towards the one-sided argument that had broken out between an exuberant Gai and a rather unfazed Kakashi. “Izumo, Kotetsu, you go get Gai and I’ll take your trays. Akimi, Hayate and I may be a little late if we’re getting notes from Iruka but you’re more than welcome to wait for us so we can walk home together.”

“I will,” Akimi beamed as the others stood from the table. “I’ll see you after school!”

Izumo and Kotetsu hurried to pry Gai away from an inexpressive Kakashi and back towards the classroom. As they passed, Gai shot Akimi a grin and a thumbs up.

“You’ve chosen the right people to befriend, young lady!” he bellowed, his teeth unnaturally bright and white, glistening in the afternoon sun. “A friend of Gai is a friend who doesn’t have to worry about anything! You just let me know if Kakashi - or anyone else from Lady Tsunade’s class - is bothering you and I’ll take care of it!”

“Uh - thank you?”

Izumo pushed Gai towards the school and Kotetsu followed close behind. Akimi looked over and blushed hotly when she saw that the kids from Tsunade’s class were staring at her. She hurriedly finished her own meal and rushed inside the school building, trying to pretend she wasn’t being studied by at least five pairs of eyes.