Naruto fic: Past the Eighth Gate - Part III
Title: Past the Eighth Gate - Part III
Author: aviss
Characters: Kakashi, Iruka.
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Drama, angst
Warnings: (Highlight to read.) -> This deals with serious issues like alcoholism and depression.<-
Word Count: ~2.000 this part
Summary: Kakashi never thought he'd survive the war. He did, but not unscathed. Now he has to learn his new place in Konoha, and he's not dealing well with it. He receives unwanted help from an unlikely source.
Part I
Part II
Part III - Back to School
"I'm here."
The first thing Iruka noticed was that Kakashi seemed to have taken his advice. His hair was wet and the clothes he was wearing appeared clean, though slightly wrinkled. The second one was that it had taken him almost two hours to get there, and that he had obviously drunk more than just coffee.
Iruka pursed his lips, annoyed. Kakashi wasn't drunk, nothing as bad as that, but his eyes were a bit too bright and his posture more relaxed than it had been inside his own home.
Iruka knew perfectly well how to recognize the symptoms.
"So good of you to come, Kakashi-sensei," Iruka said, looking down again at the file in his hands.
He scanned the document, making the adjustments necessary for the schedule. They were going to speed up the training in certain areas as per the Hokage's request, and he needed to compensate for those subjects which were going to be relegated. It was difficult to choose what the kids were going to need less, geography or maths. Both were important, and Iruka hated the idea of his kids being poorly educated just because Konoha needed fighters.
"I'm here," Kakashi repeated after a while when it became apparent Iruka wasn't going to stop what he was doing.
"Then you should go to the Headmistress Office and introduce yourself," he replied without looking up. "You need to get your own schedule for your class before we can begin."
Geography would also be covered in strategy, so Iruka finally decided to leave maths and writing untouched. They would have extra target practice and taijutsu, and a double chakra control once a week.
He didn't lift his eyes from his file until he heard an irritated huff and the sound of the door slamming shut.
He wondered how long it would take for him to come back.
…
Kakashi left the classroom fuming, heading straight to the exit intending to go back home.
This had been an incredibly bad idea. Iruka had tricked him into going to the Academy only to ignore him. It put things into perspective; Iruka was following Tsunade's orders, but obviously his opinion of Kakashi was the same as the rest of Konoha.
Disappointed, Kakashi walked up to the door and left the Academy. He shouldn't have left his house; the whole thing had been a waste of his time.
Two minutes on the walk back Kakashi stopped and turned around.
Iruka had not acted like the rest of them, Kakashi reminded himself. He had acted like a teacher scolding an unruly student. And tempting as the idea of going home and hiding there for the rest of the day was, he was still curious. And as much as he didn't care about his book at the moment, he wanted it back.
Besides, something told him that Iruka would be at his door again in the morning.
Kakashi entered the Academy again and went straight to the Headmistress office.
He didn't know what he had been expecting, but the diminutive and frail-looking old lady staring at him from the other side of a big desk wasn't it. He hadn't even bothered to knock, used as he was to come and go from Tsunade's office without so much as a by-your-leave.
"Ah, Kakashi-sensei," the woman said in a thin, reedy voice. "I heard you were joining us in the Academy. Good thing. Good thing. Since Tsubaki-sensei retired and Kaoru-sensei left us we've been short staffed." Kakashi blinked at her, not managing to conceal his surprise at the pleased tone and the calm eyes staring at him. There was no accusation or judgement in those eyes, and the smile on the Headmistress face looked genuine. "Here. Have your schedule and coordinate with Iruka-sensei. He was sure you'd be coming today, even when Makino-sensei said you'd never get your sorry ass out of bed. I'm glad to see he was right. He normally is so you better listen to him." Kakashi managed to take one step and grab the paper she was handing to him, opening his mouth to say something. She didn't let him. "You'll be in charge of Tsubaki-sensei's class, and let me tell you, they're a handful. We don't expect you to be up to scratch when classes start, so there will be a joint class with Iruka-sensei's kids for the first week. Observe and learn. And please don't drink before coming to the Academy, I can smell it on you and I don't like it. Kids and sharp weapons don't mix well with alcohol; you will need your reflexes dealing with them. And remember, murdering your students is not allowed, though they will tempt you sorely. Now off you go, report to Iruka-sensei and coordinate with him."
Kakashi gaped at her, wondering where the hell the breath for that speech had come. Her thin chest didn't look as if it could contain it. She was making shooing motions with her hands and Kakashi turned on his heel and left, wondering if he had added maybe a bit too much liquor to his coffee.
Iruka was still scanning some papers in his hand when Kakashi entered the classroom.
"Took you less than I gave you credit for," he said, looking up and staring at Kakashi. He snorted, amused, at whatever expression was on his face. One of extreme puzzlement, probably. That was exactly how he felt. "I see you've met Onoda-san. Yes, she's like this all the time, I don't think I've managed to say more than a handful of words in her presence in all my years here. Now, hand that schedule and take a seat."
Feeling a bit as if he was still in a dream, Kakashi did.
…
"You're lucky, you're getting Tusbaki-sensei's class," Iruka said after checking the paper Kakashi handed him. It didn't come as a surprise, since he had been the one to suggest it to Onoda-san, but it was good to have confirmation of it.
He didn't want to imagine how Kakashi would fare with Kaoru-sensei's special class.
"Lucky? How so?" Kakashi asked after a few seconds of silence, his voice managing to convey his complete lack of interest. Iruka rolled his eyes.
"Tusbaki-sensei's class is the beginners. They have no previous knowledge except for the one imparted by their parents and what they have seen in the Village," Iruka explained, looking at Kakashi who was staring back at him with a bored expression on his face. "It's better for new teacher to get a beginners class."
Kakashi kept staring at him blankly and Iruka sighed.
"You have taijutsu and target practice and also maths and writing. There's also basic concealment and strategy and some chakra. It's mostly theory during the first year," Iruka added when he saw Kakashi's eyes narrow at the mention of chakra. It was clearly a sore subject, all things considered, but if Kakashi was to get better he needed to face the reality of his situation, not avoid it. "You'll need to get the reference materials from the library and plan what you're teaching them in advance."
There was no response from Kakashi and Iruka was beginning to get irritated. He knew this wasn't easy for Kakashi, he knew this probably better than anyone else in the village, but Kakashi needed to put something from his part.
Kakashi seemed completely unwilling to cooperate, and Iruka imagined that the fact that he was there was as much as he could expect of him right now.
It was progress, little as it was.
"You were a special case when you were in the Academy, so you probably weren't taught many lessons in basic skills, like writing and reading. Those will be the most difficult, because our students don't believe they will need them, and they're not as glamorous as the other subjects. Should you need it, we can help you plan them as well," Iruka continued, biting down on his annoyance at Kakashi's silence. Anyone would have questions by now, but the infuriating man was just staring back at him. He finally decided to force a reaction out of him. "Basic jutsu is also taught this year, but those you'll have with my class."
"Since I can't teach what I can't do, isn't it right Sensei?" Kakashi finally spoke, his voice bitter.
Iruka sighed. "Yes, it's difficult to teach something you can't show," he admitted. He saw no reason to sugar-coat the truth. "But it's not impossible."
Kakashi stood up, glaring at Iruka. "This is never going to work, Sensei. I'm not doing this." He left before Iruka could come up with a response.
Iruka groaned, letting the file fall from his hands, and closed his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose. That hadn't been exactly the reaction he was aiming for, but he should have expected it.
Maybe it hadn't been the best move.
"He reminds me of someone; don't you think Iruka-sensei?"
Iruka startled at the voice of Onoda-san, and turned to look at her. She was standing at the door, looking at him with concern and a hint of amusement in her old eyes. She was hunched over her cane, her frail body shuffling slowly forward. Iruka remembered hearing from his mother that she had been an impressive woman, beautiful and fierce, but age had not been kind to her.
Still, she was fiercely protective of her school and the people in it. And like it or not, Kakashi was now one of hers.
"He's going to be a hard one," Iruka agreed.
"Yes, but you will straighten him, I'm sure," she said, a strong conviction in her voice. Iruka wished he could be so sure of it.
"Like you did to me?"
She chuckled softly. "Oh, you were much worse than he is, and it was a very close thing with you." There was a fond expression on her face when she looked at Iruka and he smiled at her. They both knew Iruka wouldn't be there had it not been for Onoda's stubbornness. "He's in a bad place, but he's not too far gone. He'll come back."
Iruka nodded. If there was someone he trusted it was Onoda-san, she had never made the wrong call. If she believed it was going to be ok, then it would be.
"He won't come back tomorrow."
"No, not tomorrow. But don't give up on him, no matter how tempted you are." She turned on her heel and slowly left the room, leaving Iruka alone with his thoughts.
Of course he wasn't going to give up on Kakashi.
Onoda hadn't given up on him after all. It was only fair to return the favour.
…
Kakashi didn't know if he was relieved or disappointed when Iruka failed to wake him up and drag him to the Academy the next day.
Relieved, he told himself as he prepared his coffee. He had a killing headache and his stomach had been bothering him since the previous night. It might have been that lousy take out he had ordered, or maybe the shitty new brand of sake he had tried.
It certainly had nothing to do with the realization that, whatever Tsunade or Iruka or that old crone at the school had said, there was no way he had anything to teach to those kids. Maths and writing and theory of chakra, for anything more complicated they would need a real shinobi, not the ghost of one. They only thing Kakashi could teach the kids was what not to become, and for that they didn't need to be in the same room, they learnt it as their parents pointed on the streets.
He drank his first cup of coffee and refilled it, still telling himself he was relieved. He didn't need a pest like Iruka-sensei forcing him to go where he didn't want to be.
It was better to stay home.
Kakashi started to believe it after the fourth drink.
…
TBC
Author: aviss
Characters: Kakashi, Iruka.
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Drama, angst
Warnings: (Highlight to read.) -> This deals with serious issues like alcoholism and depression.<-
Word Count: ~2.000 this part
Summary: Kakashi never thought he'd survive the war. He did, but not unscathed. Now he has to learn his new place in Konoha, and he's not dealing well with it. He receives unwanted help from an unlikely source.
Part I
Part II
Part III - Back to School
"I'm here."
The first thing Iruka noticed was that Kakashi seemed to have taken his advice. His hair was wet and the clothes he was wearing appeared clean, though slightly wrinkled. The second one was that it had taken him almost two hours to get there, and that he had obviously drunk more than just coffee.
Iruka pursed his lips, annoyed. Kakashi wasn't drunk, nothing as bad as that, but his eyes were a bit too bright and his posture more relaxed than it had been inside his own home.
Iruka knew perfectly well how to recognize the symptoms.
"So good of you to come, Kakashi-sensei," Iruka said, looking down again at the file in his hands.
He scanned the document, making the adjustments necessary for the schedule. They were going to speed up the training in certain areas as per the Hokage's request, and he needed to compensate for those subjects which were going to be relegated. It was difficult to choose what the kids were going to need less, geography or maths. Both were important, and Iruka hated the idea of his kids being poorly educated just because Konoha needed fighters.
"I'm here," Kakashi repeated after a while when it became apparent Iruka wasn't going to stop what he was doing.
"Then you should go to the Headmistress Office and introduce yourself," he replied without looking up. "You need to get your own schedule for your class before we can begin."
Geography would also be covered in strategy, so Iruka finally decided to leave maths and writing untouched. They would have extra target practice and taijutsu, and a double chakra control once a week.
He didn't lift his eyes from his file until he heard an irritated huff and the sound of the door slamming shut.
He wondered how long it would take for him to come back.
…
Kakashi left the classroom fuming, heading straight to the exit intending to go back home.
This had been an incredibly bad idea. Iruka had tricked him into going to the Academy only to ignore him. It put things into perspective; Iruka was following Tsunade's orders, but obviously his opinion of Kakashi was the same as the rest of Konoha.
Disappointed, Kakashi walked up to the door and left the Academy. He shouldn't have left his house; the whole thing had been a waste of his time.
Two minutes on the walk back Kakashi stopped and turned around.
Iruka had not acted like the rest of them, Kakashi reminded himself. He had acted like a teacher scolding an unruly student. And tempting as the idea of going home and hiding there for the rest of the day was, he was still curious. And as much as he didn't care about his book at the moment, he wanted it back.
Besides, something told him that Iruka would be at his door again in the morning.
Kakashi entered the Academy again and went straight to the Headmistress office.
He didn't know what he had been expecting, but the diminutive and frail-looking old lady staring at him from the other side of a big desk wasn't it. He hadn't even bothered to knock, used as he was to come and go from Tsunade's office without so much as a by-your-leave.
"Ah, Kakashi-sensei," the woman said in a thin, reedy voice. "I heard you were joining us in the Academy. Good thing. Good thing. Since Tsubaki-sensei retired and Kaoru-sensei left us we've been short staffed." Kakashi blinked at her, not managing to conceal his surprise at the pleased tone and the calm eyes staring at him. There was no accusation or judgement in those eyes, and the smile on the Headmistress face looked genuine. "Here. Have your schedule and coordinate with Iruka-sensei. He was sure you'd be coming today, even when Makino-sensei said you'd never get your sorry ass out of bed. I'm glad to see he was right. He normally is so you better listen to him." Kakashi managed to take one step and grab the paper she was handing to him, opening his mouth to say something. She didn't let him. "You'll be in charge of Tsubaki-sensei's class, and let me tell you, they're a handful. We don't expect you to be up to scratch when classes start, so there will be a joint class with Iruka-sensei's kids for the first week. Observe and learn. And please don't drink before coming to the Academy, I can smell it on you and I don't like it. Kids and sharp weapons don't mix well with alcohol; you will need your reflexes dealing with them. And remember, murdering your students is not allowed, though they will tempt you sorely. Now off you go, report to Iruka-sensei and coordinate with him."
Kakashi gaped at her, wondering where the hell the breath for that speech had come. Her thin chest didn't look as if it could contain it. She was making shooing motions with her hands and Kakashi turned on his heel and left, wondering if he had added maybe a bit too much liquor to his coffee.
Iruka was still scanning some papers in his hand when Kakashi entered the classroom.
"Took you less than I gave you credit for," he said, looking up and staring at Kakashi. He snorted, amused, at whatever expression was on his face. One of extreme puzzlement, probably. That was exactly how he felt. "I see you've met Onoda-san. Yes, she's like this all the time, I don't think I've managed to say more than a handful of words in her presence in all my years here. Now, hand that schedule and take a seat."
Feeling a bit as if he was still in a dream, Kakashi did.
…
"You're lucky, you're getting Tusbaki-sensei's class," Iruka said after checking the paper Kakashi handed him. It didn't come as a surprise, since he had been the one to suggest it to Onoda-san, but it was good to have confirmation of it.
He didn't want to imagine how Kakashi would fare with Kaoru-sensei's special class.
"Lucky? How so?" Kakashi asked after a few seconds of silence, his voice managing to convey his complete lack of interest. Iruka rolled his eyes.
"Tusbaki-sensei's class is the beginners. They have no previous knowledge except for the one imparted by their parents and what they have seen in the Village," Iruka explained, looking at Kakashi who was staring back at him with a bored expression on his face. "It's better for new teacher to get a beginners class."
Kakashi kept staring at him blankly and Iruka sighed.
"You have taijutsu and target practice and also maths and writing. There's also basic concealment and strategy and some chakra. It's mostly theory during the first year," Iruka added when he saw Kakashi's eyes narrow at the mention of chakra. It was clearly a sore subject, all things considered, but if Kakashi was to get better he needed to face the reality of his situation, not avoid it. "You'll need to get the reference materials from the library and plan what you're teaching them in advance."
There was no response from Kakashi and Iruka was beginning to get irritated. He knew this wasn't easy for Kakashi, he knew this probably better than anyone else in the village, but Kakashi needed to put something from his part.
Kakashi seemed completely unwilling to cooperate, and Iruka imagined that the fact that he was there was as much as he could expect of him right now.
It was progress, little as it was.
"You were a special case when you were in the Academy, so you probably weren't taught many lessons in basic skills, like writing and reading. Those will be the most difficult, because our students don't believe they will need them, and they're not as glamorous as the other subjects. Should you need it, we can help you plan them as well," Iruka continued, biting down on his annoyance at Kakashi's silence. Anyone would have questions by now, but the infuriating man was just staring back at him. He finally decided to force a reaction out of him. "Basic jutsu is also taught this year, but those you'll have with my class."
"Since I can't teach what I can't do, isn't it right Sensei?" Kakashi finally spoke, his voice bitter.
Iruka sighed. "Yes, it's difficult to teach something you can't show," he admitted. He saw no reason to sugar-coat the truth. "But it's not impossible."
Kakashi stood up, glaring at Iruka. "This is never going to work, Sensei. I'm not doing this." He left before Iruka could come up with a response.
Iruka groaned, letting the file fall from his hands, and closed his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose. That hadn't been exactly the reaction he was aiming for, but he should have expected it.
Maybe it hadn't been the best move.
"He reminds me of someone; don't you think Iruka-sensei?"
Iruka startled at the voice of Onoda-san, and turned to look at her. She was standing at the door, looking at him with concern and a hint of amusement in her old eyes. She was hunched over her cane, her frail body shuffling slowly forward. Iruka remembered hearing from his mother that she had been an impressive woman, beautiful and fierce, but age had not been kind to her.
Still, she was fiercely protective of her school and the people in it. And like it or not, Kakashi was now one of hers.
"He's going to be a hard one," Iruka agreed.
"Yes, but you will straighten him, I'm sure," she said, a strong conviction in her voice. Iruka wished he could be so sure of it.
"Like you did to me?"
She chuckled softly. "Oh, you were much worse than he is, and it was a very close thing with you." There was a fond expression on her face when she looked at Iruka and he smiled at her. They both knew Iruka wouldn't be there had it not been for Onoda's stubbornness. "He's in a bad place, but he's not too far gone. He'll come back."
Iruka nodded. If there was someone he trusted it was Onoda-san, she had never made the wrong call. If she believed it was going to be ok, then it would be.
"He won't come back tomorrow."
"No, not tomorrow. But don't give up on him, no matter how tempted you are." She turned on her heel and slowly left the room, leaving Iruka alone with his thoughts.
Of course he wasn't going to give up on Kakashi.
Onoda hadn't given up on him after all. It was only fair to return the favour.
…
Kakashi didn't know if he was relieved or disappointed when Iruka failed to wake him up and drag him to the Academy the next day.
Relieved, he told himself as he prepared his coffee. He had a killing headache and his stomach had been bothering him since the previous night. It might have been that lousy take out he had ordered, or maybe the shitty new brand of sake he had tried.
It certainly had nothing to do with the realization that, whatever Tsunade or Iruka or that old crone at the school had said, there was no way he had anything to teach to those kids. Maths and writing and theory of chakra, for anything more complicated they would need a real shinobi, not the ghost of one. They only thing Kakashi could teach the kids was what not to become, and for that they didn't need to be in the same room, they learnt it as their parents pointed on the streets.
He drank his first cup of coffee and refilled it, still telling himself he was relieved. He didn't need a pest like Iruka-sensei forcing him to go where he didn't want to be.
It was better to stay home.
Kakashi started to believe it after the fourth drink.
…
TBC