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kakashi_jounin June 28 2010, 08:42:56 UTC
There was no hiding the grin in his voice. "You sell yourself too cheaply. You should have held out for more."

There was a more subtle change in his tone as well--something a little more serious than teasing...

He meandered a ways down the aisle, looking over the packages and choosing a bag of regular, non-wizarding gummy worms. He tucked them away in one of the pockets of his flak jacket. They looked interesting, even though he didn't usually care for candy. "I've already had breakfast," he replied as he returned to where Iruka was. Sobering, he realised Iruka probably wouldn't tolerate much more teasing and that he should get to the point. He would be made Hokage the next time he was returned home--a chilling thought--and moments like this were good practise at being the dour leader he'd have to become. He could be an ass sometimes, but his heart was usually in the right place. Just another lesson he'd learnt the hard way.

"All joking aside, I'm afraid you were taken advantage of." He held up a hand to forestall any protests Iruka might have wanted to make. "Whatever you do here and whom you choose to do it with is your business, I just don't want to see you eaten by a dragon because you trusted the wrong person."

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scarysensei June 28 2010, 14:45:12 UTC
Iruka opened his mouth to give a scandalised reply along the lines of 'what do you mean, sell myself' but then thought better of it. Kakashi was right - he'd kissed a man for money. If that wasn't the selling himself, nothing was. He hung his head in embarrassment.

"I hope you don't think badly of me," he said quietly, but he knew that Kakashi probably thought he was totally unprofessional. No ninja, no matter how tired they were, no matter if they'd just come from a battle, should have reacted like that. Iruka was ashamed of himself.

He glanced up as Kakashi spoke again. "What do you mean?" he asked, horror dawning on him. "He lied to me?" Should have seen that one coming, Iruka, said a voice inside his head. You pride yourself on reading people, but you're not so good at it after all. A handsome man comes along and flirts a little and your training goes right out the window. Some ninja you are - you didn't even learn from your mistakes with Mizuki? Pathetic.

Iruka clenched his jaw. "You must think I'm a pretty terrible shinobi," he said, still staring at the floor. His throat felt tight.

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kakashi_jounin July 1 2010, 10:13:55 UTC
"He may not have intended harm," offered Kakashi diplomatically, but he didn't hide his skepticism. "Perhaps he only wanted to kiss you, and needed an excuse." He didn't think Iruka was especially gullible under normal circumstances, but he was attractive, and naturally that would lead to certain kinds of attention, good and bad. It wasn't his fault.

"But if you were to go out to meet Smaug--that's the dragon in the woods--and expect to bargain with him..." He shook his head. "A being who's probably more powerful than the Bijuu? He does what he wants, and doesn't seem inclined to honour agreements unless he feels like it."

He was surprised that Iruka even cared about his opinion, and was quiet for a long moment, recalling when Iruka had sought to comfort him the other day in the Sorting Room--that had also surprised him. Finally he reached up to rest a hand on the other man's shoulder. "I don't think less of you because someone took advantage of you. And some good came from it--now you know why you need to be more careful here."

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scarysensei July 1 2010, 23:39:09 UTC
As Kakashi spoke, Iruka picked up a juicy red apple and a small carton of milk, which he pocketed. He snorted derisively, shaking his head at what Kakashi was saying. "Yeah, right." I should have known something was off the minute he acted flirty. A good-looking guy looking to get close with me? Like that'd happen.

His head snapped up at the mention of Smaug being more powerful than the Bijuu, and he actually felt the blood drain out of his face. "More powerful than-!" He had a sudden image of himself placing a chest of gold before a dark mountainous form, then being crushed beneath a talon. He felt sick and closed his eyes for a second, then focused on the sound of his heartbeat to ground himself and opened them again. "What should I do?" he asked, surprised that his voice didn't shake. "And you may not think less of me, but I do. I shouldn't have had to have a warning to be careful here. I should have done it automatically." He paused at the touch to his shoulder and his gaze flicked up to Kakashi. The touch made him feel warm somehow, and he relaxed a little.

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kakashi_jounin July 9 2010, 08:34:03 UTC
It was difficult to accurately gauge the kind of strength that Smaug and the other two dragons of Hogwarts possessed, but from what Kakashi had sensed it was easily on par with--maybe even greater than--the overwhelming power of the Bijuu, especially the dragon in the lake, so he felt it was a fair assessment and in no way an exaggeration.

And it was why he was determined to not let Iruka go out to meet one. Alone, at any rate.

"What you should do," he replied lightly, letting his hand slip lower to take Iruka by the elbow, "is not dwell on what you should have done. It won't change what is." He gave a light pull at Iruka's elbow to urge him on, then started heading for the exit that led out into the hallways.

"From what I've gathered, Smaug is immune to magic--and possibly jutsu, his scales are impenetrable, and he sees through illusions. He's impossible to sneak up on... and likely harder still to escape from. Once you receive payment for that kiss, maybe you'd like some company when you deliver it to Smaug?" He glanced at Iruka, raising his visible eyebrow. He was smiling beneath his mask. "Otherwise, I'd say just hold onto it for a while."

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scarysensei July 9 2010, 17:38:15 UTC
Iruka felt the hairs rise on the back of his neck when Kakashi didn't remove his hand from his arm. He stepped after Kakashi at the tug to his elbow, wondering why the man hadn't simply started moving away, expecting Iruka to follow him. Not that Iruka was complaining.

..Which didn't mean that Iruka was attracted to Kakashi, not in the slightest. It was just that he had noticed when Kakashi had been around back in Konoha that he tended not to touch people, and him touching Iruka right now was a significant friendly gesture, and Kakashi was talking to him so he'd better listen.

"What?" he said, then his brain caught up with him. "Oh. Yes, you're right. I'll try not to think about it more."

I really need to pay attention when he's talking. I must sound stupid to him. Not that I care how he thinks I sound, it's just I'd like him to have a good opinion of me as a shinobi. Yeah.

Iruka was slowly realising that when it came to Kakashi, he thought in circles and he STILL wasn't listening properly. It was a good thing that almost every shinobi could listen to two conversations at once. He saw Kakashi raise an eyebrow at him, and could nearly see the vague outline of his smile beneath his mask. He gave a weak half-smile in return.

"Well, technically I never gave my word that I would give the gold to Smaug. So maybe I just got a lot of gold for practically nothing, yeah?" He gave Kakashi a more sincere smile, and said,

"But if I ever do have to give anything to Smaug... I'd like it very much if you came with me. At least that way I might get out of it alive." This last was said with a self-depreciating eyeroll.

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kakashi_jounin July 10 2010, 09:17:40 UTC
Hogwarts hadn't changed Kakashi, exactly, but it did allow him to indulge certain desires more frequently than he would have in Konoha. It was nice, knowing no one here would give a damn if they noticed him going just a little out of his way to initiate physical contact with someone. Iruka's lack of complaint or comment on said contact he just took as subtle encouragement.

Which meant when their shoulders happened to occasionally brush as they walked, he pretended not to notice.

Kakashi didn't bother examining too deeply his own reasons for enjoying these simple touches as much as he did, and he was completely unaware of Iruka's thoughts. Still, that he and Iruka could manage to be comfortable in each other's company like this kindled an unusual feeling--something like...hope.

"I'm sure you can come up with some other uses for the gold," he replied. "And good. I'd protect you with my life," he said solemnly. After a moment, though, he glanced at Iruka with amusement. "Naruto wouldn't let me hear the end of it if I were to let anything happen to you here." When Naruto wasn't busy being obsessed with Sasuke, anyway.

Hufflepuff wasn't far from the main doors, and there were fortunately no moving staircases to deal with. There were however several suits of armour that shifted and clanked as they passed by, more chatty paintings, and in the Entrance Hall, the now unused House point hourglasses. Kakashi pointed them out, briefly explaining what they represented.

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scarysensei July 10 2010, 22:48:10 UTC
Iruka wasn't sure why Kakashi was touching him. He might have thought it was accidental, but a Jounin would never be so unaware as to touch someone accidentally - hell, even Naruto had enough body-awareness to keep from bumping into people. Iruka wondered if he ought to move away, but found he didn't want to. It was nice to be next to Kakashi. He was his only link to Konoha.. and he made Iruka feel odd. Nice-odd. It was a feeling he'd had before, a long time ago. It reminded him of Mizuki as a child, and how they spent all their time together. Iruka ignored the bittersweet feelings as best he could, as he did with all thoughts of Mizuki, but there was something in the back of his mind trying to tell him something...

I'd protect you with my life. Iruka felt a smile tugging at his lips. "I don't doubt it," he replied. "He'd say the same to me if I let anything happen to you. I'll - I'll do my best to protect you, too." This sounds a little.. um.

"Speaking of uses for the gold," he said, changing the subject, "if I get a wand at the shop in the village, I'll have to pay, won't I? I haven't recieved the gold yet. He said.." and here he glanced at Kakashi with a strange look, "..that he would owl it to me. Does that mean anything to you?"

As Kakashi finished explaining the hourglasses, Iruka stepped forward. "Amazing," he said. "They're no longer used? I see there's only four, instead of eight."

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kakashi_jounin July 12 2010, 11:13:57 UTC
The mun apologises for this getting so long!

Iruka offering to protect him as well was a bit strange, Kakashi thought, for reasons that had nothing to do with their respective ranks. Maybe because that sort of sentiment was so rarely directed at him, since most people probably thought it would be insulting his skill as a shinobi to imply he needed help.

Which Iruka obviously wasn't doing. Perhaps he'd only said it in response because he felt obligated to? With a mental shrug Kakashi moved on. He could puzzle over it later, when there was no one around to wonder why he was being so quiet and reflective.

"You can charge it to the school's account," he replied. "Every shop in the village has an account with Hogwarts. You lack this world's currency, so you're better off doing that. Or I could buy it," he stated after a thoughtful pause. "And you could reimburse me later..." The teasing was back in his tone, hinting that his desired 'reimbursement' might not be of the monetary sort, after witnessing Iruka's little display in the Sorting Room. Mainly he was just curious about how Iruka would react, now.

"Owls carry and deliver all the mail in this world. The school has a large Owlery in the West Tower. You may simply tie a message or package to an owl's leg, and as long as it's addressed to someone--even just a description of the individual apparently works--they'll know what to do. Giving them a treat isn't a bad idea either, some of them can be quite temperamental."

He offered a shrug in response to the comment about the hourglasses. "Four of the Houses are much newer additions, and likewise aren't mentioned anywhere in the history of the school up until a few years ago. It's peculiar, no one seems to know how or why these changes were made. Most suspect it's the Hat's doing."

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Okay I admit it. I was getting tired of the clichéd "NOT crushing on Kakashi-san" Iruka. Oops? XD scarysensei July 13 2010, 00:06:13 UTC
Don't apologise for awesomeness :D

If Iruka had known what Kakashi was thinking, he'd have been shocked. Partly at the thought of insulting Kakashi's success as a ninja, which he certainly hadn't meant to do, and partly at the thought that Kakashi was obviously not told "I want to protect you" very often. As far as Iruka was concerned, even if Kakashi was Hokage-level, it shouldn't mean that nobody thought he should be protected. Even the strong needed protection. (He'd also have been a little annoyed at the insinuation that he didn't care about Kakashi, because he did. In a manly, trying-to-ignore-a-crush way.)

Back in the real world, however, Iruka didn't know what Kakashi was thinking. He was relieved to find that he wouldn't have to pay for the wand straight away, but the quip from Kakashi about reimbursement made him simultaneously embarrassed and ashamed.. and some other emotion that he tried to convince himself had NOTHING to do with Kakashi, which manifested itself as a curl of heat in his stomach and a delicious shiver up his back.

This is.. probably not good. I can't tell if he's flirting seriously, but if he keeps making passes at me I am going to have a serious crush on a possibly-straight man. Outwardly, Iruka tried not to betray what was going on in his brain, merely looking preoccupied and not (thank God) flushed or embarrassed. Okay. So at least I've admitted it to myself. I mean, I always thought he was good looking, but I never really got the shivers when he talked to me. Nice voice, though, I must admit, he thought with a half-smile.

He looked at Kakashi. "Maybe I'll take you up on your offer, Kakashi-san." Okay, that could sound either innocent or flirtatious. "I'll make sure to give you all your money back, don't worry." And that was less flirtatious, but hey. Iruka was doing his best - he'd not been this attracted to someone in ages.

"Owls as messengers? Although we had hawks.." he pondered. "Are they efficient? I admit, finding someone on a description alone is impressive."

He shifted uncomfortably at the mention of the Hat. "Kakashi-san.. do you find the Hat a little.. disturbing? It wanted to do things to my headband, and some of its conversation was.. well. Odd."

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Iruka becoming more self aware is a very good thing. ;) kakashi_jounin July 15 2010, 09:29:30 UTC
It didn't help matters that Kakashi himself wasn't certain whether his flirting with Iruka was serious or just meaninglessly playful. But the more Iruka reacted favourably (or at least didn't react poorly), and seemed to almost welcome the attention, the easier it was to decide--he liked this strange new turn their friendship was taking. Even if nothing serious came of it, he enjoyed feeling like they were really relating to one another in ways they hadn't before.

It wasn't as though he had any intention of jumping Iruka--it wouldn't do to rush things so inelegantly. But if his advances continued to be welcomed in that endearingly awkward way of Iruka's, chances were there'd be some rather interesting developments before the day was out.

"I'd be glad to help you." He waved off the offer to pay him back. "We can work something out later," he said lightly. Whether with money or by other means, he'd leave it up to Iruka's imagination. He chuckled. "The owls are highly efficient, yes. Probably has something to do with the magic of this place.

"The Hat is eccentric," he said with a half shrug. "I suppose you're lucky its interest was limited to your hitai-ate. I've heard tell of it doing ... obscene ... things to applicants' hair, and worse. I imagine someone has already told you of the forced marriages?"

He was almost disappointed when they passed through the immense oak front doors and made their way out onto the school grounds, since the hallways had offered a convenient excuse for them to be walking relatively close together. Outdoors, not so much. Still, he was careful not to crowd Iruka, but also made no effort to put any greater distance between them.

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I think I spend too much time in hypothetical situations. "Maybe he'd do this! We'll never know.." scarysensei July 16 2010, 03:31:33 UTC
Sorry, posted too early

Iruka's reaction to Kakashi jumping him would certainly have been interesting, although less likely to lead to sex than the mun would hope. But what'd have been good for Kakashi was he was certainly likely to be endearingly awkward. And annoyed.

Anyway, Kakashi hadn't jumped him, so Iruka wasn't annoyed. He was still endearingly awkward, but that was par for the course. Kakashi's slightly suggestive comments were helping there, though, and Iruka's mind certainly went to some places it hadn't visited in awhile when Kakashi implied payback might not be monetary. He wrenched his train of thought away from what might happen if Kakashi turned round and said that he didn't want money for recompense, but Iruka, and paid attention - again - to what Kakashi was saying.

"I suppose I should be glad," he conceded, "that it didn't do anything horrible to me, like fill my room with cheese. But nobody told me about the forced marriages! The Hat made people marry each other against their will?"

The sunlight streaming across the grounds was warm and Iruka tilted his face back a little, letting it play across his face. "How's the weather here, by the way?"

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It's all interesting character development, so I'm not complaining. ♥ kakashi_jounin July 18 2010, 10:20:04 UTC
((Sorry I'm lagging with tags again, working crazy double shifts all weekend and into next week. It sucks, but this way I can actually pay to retile my dumb soggy floor.))

Kakashi luckily wasn't having any trouble keeping up with their conversation, while also idly envisioning the many potential ways in which he could have Iruka pay him back. Some were certainly more realistic than others, and the one he liked most at the moment happened to be feasible, as well--a simple kiss, after ensuring Iruka's eyes were really closed, of course. After all there was precedent for it, and since Iruka was willing to kiss a complete stranger, hopefully he wouldn't mind sharing one with someone who actually respected him and considered him a friend. Asking for sex so soon as reimbursement was unfortunately out of the question, as this is not a slashfic.

"Mm," he said noncommittally, staring into the distance for a few moments before he came back to himself. So maybe he had let his mind wander a bit too far. "The Hat once set up an entire... tent village, and each tent's randomly chosen occupants were then married to one another. There may have been four to a tent? I can't recall, but it was very strange. I believe it was before my time, but school records of it still exist. More recently, he married the former and current groundskeepers to each other against their will. One is apparently a half-giant--and looks it, he's easily twice as tall as a regular man and much bigger than one--and the other fellow seems human enough..."

Bad enough to be married against one's will, but then to face that kind of physical incompatibility when and if one decided to consummate said marriage, well. It seemed an unnecessarily cruel joke to Kakashi.

"The weather isn't so different from what we're used to," he replied, sounding pleased by this. "Just more unpredictable, and maybe a bit cooler. It does rain a lot." Which he appreciated--it brought out the colour of the landscape and made the school grounds look especially nice. He gestured toward the woods which were now in sight. "That's the Forbidden Forest. It's always quite dank and dark, regardless of the weather. Sunlight doesn't penetrate the canopy in many places."

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Boo to the not a slashfic thing I say! Boo~ (Urgh, sorry for the DOUBLE repost. I'm just not awake.) scarysensei July 19 2010, 03:12:09 UTC
Don't worry about it. I just got my first job and even though my shifts are really short, I'm still tired after them, so take as much time as you need - I'm not gonna judge! Also I hope your floor doesn't cost you too much D:

Iruka scanned the grounds. There was a large lake - Iruka remembered Kakashi had said something about something living in there, a giant octopus maybe, and he wondered just how giant Kakashi meant. The green lawns rolled away in front of him, stopping at a rather ominous looking forest. He turned and looked up. The castle was huge from the outside, stretching into the sky, turreted and towered. He thought that it must be very easy to get lost in.

"How many people are here?" he asked, curiously. "I assume you get new people pretty often, and you said people don't leave very much, so are there lots of people here?"

Turning back, he shook his head at Kakashi's description of the Hat's actions. "Id the Hat is such a bad leader, why has no one rebelled? I'd think that forced marriages and things would make people less than likely to do as it said." He figured if the Hokage ever made people marry for no reason, there'd definitely be an uprising. "Were the marriages permanent? Surely it doesn't have the authority to marry people.. you know, in a binding way?"

Iruka didn't mind rain either. One of his favourite exercises was to run in the rain. The wet made keeping his footing a little more of a challenge, and the cold was invigorating. He made a note to go for a run as soon as it rained here.

"That's where the dragons live?" he said, tilting his head. "Or do they live elsewhere?"

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My inbox was just full of Iruka today. =D kakashi_jounin July 21 2010, 08:07:26 UTC
((Congrats on your new job too then! =D And I luckily get to split the cost with flatmates.))

Kakashi thought for a moment and nodded. "A few hundred at any given time," he guessed. "There are usually new arrivals on a weekly basis. Some stay longer than others." He briefly explained the popcorn phenomenon as well, which was the usual method of departure and return for most residents. His own trips back to their home world seemed to happen by other means, as he'd only experienced waking up in salted butter once before.

"I believe most residents ignore the Hat whenever possible, yet as I understand it, he and his whims are impossible to ignore when he focuses on you specifically. No one quite knows the limits of his true power... It is perhaps best not to attract his attention." He shook his head. "As far as I know, the marriages were no more than the Hat declaring they were married, yet they appear binding enough that the victims were forced to endure it for a time." He really hoped he'd never find out first hand what it was like.

"One of the dragons lives deep in the woods," he confirmed. "Another lives in the lake with the giant squid, and I've seen one return to the mountains several times." With Nidhögg-mun's permission A several yard stretch of Nidhögg's serpentine body surfaced in the lake just then, gliding through the water until disappearing again. It wasn't uncommon to see such when the dragon was up and about, considering his total body mass was greater than that of the castle and the lake was probably a bit small for him.

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I wish I was full of Iruka. (Okay yes that was utterly tasteless. But the set-up! How could I not?) scarysensei July 23 2010, 04:49:45 UTC
"That's less than I thought," admitted Iruka. "The castle looks like it could hold over a thousand. Although I suppose there are no real students here, only those that are brought against their will. Popcorning, though.. that sounds disgusting. Truly. Butter is fine as a condiment, or whatever you care to define it as, but not covering someone's body. That's just.. ugh." He made a face.

"It can't be that good a leader if it's ignored all the time. But to be the leader at all it must be powerful.." He shrugged. "This place is really weird. Nothing like home." The sun shone brightly high above them and if it wasn't for how quiet it was, Iruka could have shut his eyes and pretended he was standing in the middle of Konoha. He sighed quietly. From what Kakashi had said, it might be a long time until he went home. He gave himself a little mental shake, though. It wouldn't do to dwell on things that couldn't be. "What's the worst thing the Hat's done to you?" he asked.

Dragons. Giant squid. Murdering hermaphroditic blondes with blue balls - Iruka flushed and amended that last to 'orbs' - what didn't this castle have? As though in answer there was a noise from the lake as a huge coil surfaced and appeared to display itself for a few seconds. Iruka stared.

"Uh. That'll be the dragon, then?"

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