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."
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."
Okay I admit it. I was getting tired of the clichéd "NOT crushing on Kakashi-san" Iruka. Oops? XDscarysenseiJuly 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."
Iruka becoming more self aware is a very good thing. ;)kakashi_jouninJuly 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.
I think I spend too much time in hypothetical situations. "Maybe he'd do this! We'll never know.."scarysenseiJuly 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?"
It's all interesting character development, so I'm not complaining. ♥kakashi_jouninJuly 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."
Boo to the not a slashfic thing I say! Boo~ (Urgh, sorry for the DOUBLE repost. I'm just not awake.)scarysenseiJuly 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?"
My inbox was just full of Iruka today. =Dkakashi_jouninJuly 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.
I wish I was full of Iruka. (Okay yes that was utterly tasteless. But the set-up! How could I not?)scarysenseiJuly 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.
Can't say I didn't set up that punchline on purpose... =Dkakashi_jouninJuly 27 2010, 08:40:28 UTC
"There are a few who come here willing," Kakashi said, "supposedly. And they are aware of what Hogwarts is. But they're certainly the minority." He smiled wryly at Iruka's disgust over the butter. "It wasn't so bad, the one time it happened to me. It did seep into places that really should not be buttered... but a shower took care of that."
He'd noticed the sigh, and watched Iruka for several moments out of the corner of his eye. He didn't know Iruka's thoughts, but they weren't terribly hard to guess, given their conversation. He subtly picked up the pace, just a bit, thinking Hogsmeade would offer an excellent distraction from such brooding. Wand shopping in particular could be fun, and he was curious about what wood and core combination would best agree with Iruka even though Kakashi's own mun hasn't even decided on what his wand is yet. "I've had the good fortune to escape the Hat's notice since my own Sorting," he replied with a chuckle. Being able to disappear at a second's notice was especially helpful there.
"That would be the dragon." He was smiling again as he reached to touch Iruka's shoulder, the gesture one of camaraderie rather than just an excuse to touch him. "You'll get used to the strangeness, don't worry. Though it is nice to have a reminder of home here, something familiar..." He was meaning Iruka himself. "Do you have any plans yet, for how you'll keep busy at Hogwarts?"
Somehow, the best punchlines are the ones we both know are coming 8DscarysenseiJuly 27 2010, 22:43:22 UTC
Iruka was aware, in the sense that he was aware that water was wet and air was breathable, that he probably shouldn't be thinking about Kakashi's not-to-be-buttered places - or indeed, Kakashi showering. He reluctantly tore his thoughts away from pleasant contemplation and said, "Are there any real teachers here? I heard that the classes are.. infrequent at best." It was quite clear that he disapproved of this.
Iruka had noticed Kakashi's slight increase in speed for what it was, although he wasn't quite sure if it was a distraction for himself or for Kakashi. It was probably both. The thought of the town ahead turned his thoughts onto a similar line as Kakashi's - he was wondering what his wand would be like and so was his mun, who was looking at websites to help her and she will send them to you as they are useful. "That's lucky for you," he said, referring to the Hat. "On a different subject, how do you choose a wand?" He'd rather gotten the impression that wands were important, and he wanted to know as much about them as he could before he picked his.
Iruka shivered a little, and he supposed it might have looked like he was shivering at the dragon, but even the lightest touch from Kakashi had made a frisson of excitement run down his back. He wondered if his reactions to Kakashi were getting quickly worse, and thought that perhaps by the time Iruka had gotten his wand, if Kakashi touched him the area he'd come in contact with might spontaneously combust. He smiled at the thought, and then smiled again, even wider, at Kakashi's implication that he found Iruka.. what? Comforting?
"I don't know," he answered. "I'm curious about magic. I want to learn a lot of it.. which is why I'm disappointed that there are no lessons. If- if I can- I mean, if you're not busy-" he realised he was stammering and straightened out what he was trying to say, "I'd like to spar with you. I want to get better at fighting. That near miss I had-"
He stopped. Kakashi would know why he wanted to get better. The memory of Pain hung heavy over them both.
((Thanks for the wand resources! Here's another for HP specific wands. I'm not sure if core materials are limited to magical animals/beings or not. A simple dog hair core for Kakashi's would be apt... =P Gonna have to think about it more.))
"That depends on how one defines 'teacher'," Kakashi said dryly. "Of the appointed professors that I've observed, some appear only to enjoy harming their 'students' for their own amusement, without imparting any useful knowledge or experience in the process." His tone made it very clear what he thought of those so-called teachers: they were scum.
"The wand chooses you," he explained, his tone lightened with amusement. "You will know once you've found the wand that's meant to be yours." It was certainly an interesting experience, and he thought it might be more fun for Iruka if he were surprised. Kakashi had known immediately when he'd first held the wand that was to become his own, and had no doubt that it would be similar for Iruka, perceptive as he was.
The faint shivering hadn't escaped his notice, but he wasn't entirely sure what had caused it. Tentatively, he slipped his hand from Iruka's shoulder and down his back, lingering there for only a moment before he dropped his hand back to his side. It wasn't so blatant a gesture that it was rude, but nor was it so subtle that it could be brushed off as accidental. He hoped he hadn't been reading Iruka wrong...
He bit back a chuckle as Iruka stammered. "I'm not a very good teacher. But we can spar," he readily agreed, and resisted the temptation to make a joke about exhausting Iruka with some long, hard... sparring. It probably wasn't the time. The tall, steeply slanted rooftops of the little wizarding village were within view now, and Kakashi gestured toward them. "That's Hogsmeade up ahead." And the village was already fairly crowded from the looks of it, even as early as it was.
(It looks like Ollivander only used dragon heartstring, unicorn tail-hair and phoenix feather, and Gregorovitch used Veela Hair too, but that makes for "temperamental" wands. But the wandmaker in town isn't either of them, and we could say that the wands our two get are "experimental" - that might give us some leeway as to what we can put in them. Maybe a magical core like the ones above so that it's actually a magic wand, but with something ordinary added to it? Anyway, it's just an idea. I'll shut up now.)
Iruka watched Kakashi as he spoke, amused at his tone. "Maybe I'll teach, to spare the children - or whoever is learning," he suggested. "Once I learn magic, of course. Or I could still teach what I taught before, if people here have chakra. And if not, then I can teach taijutsu." He shrugged, looking away. "I still can't see myself staying here, though. I keep thinking I'll wake up and it'll all have been a dream. A really weird dream."
He wondered how a wand - a piece of wood, for all intents and purposes - could choose someone, but he supposed it was magic. It seemed to be the catch-all explanation. "That's reassuring," he said. "At least there's not some sort of test I need to pass or anything." He had a vision of a huge written exam and made a face. Just because he was a teacher didn't mean he liked boring exams. His students didn't realise that he was punishing himself as much as them when he gave out tests. They only had to do one.. but he had to mark thirty!
Iruka's mind went blank as the hairs on his neck rose. Kakashi had just- just- caressed him? Iruka didn't know, but it didn't seem like it was an accident. Could he have meant-
Iruka glanced sideways at Kakashi, under his lashes. The man, despite his mask, was handsome. He had a good profile - he had a good everything, confirmed his eyes, as his gaze flickered over Kakashi. Well, he wasn't just going to ignore it. But he wasn't going to say anything either. He allowed his hand to brush against Kakashi's hand, stepping a little closer as he did. They'd separated a little when they left the castle because of the space, and Iruka closed it to what it had been in the corridors - shoulders gently brushing. If Kakashi was uncomfortable, he'd move, Iruka reasoned.
He snorted at Kakashi's next words, though. "I look forward to our sparring, then. But - not a very good teacher? You liar," he said with a half-smile. "Naruto complained about you all the time, talking about how late you were, and how you made them do all the work - but every time he complained, I could see the lessons you were teaching them." He regarded Kakashi silently for a second, then commented, "You place a lot of importance on the value of teamwork, don't you?"
He looked away from Kakashi to the rooftops ahead. The village looked pretty, but busy. And although Iruka would never admit it, he was still nervous about getting his wand.
((I really like that idea, actually... so dog hair and something else for Kakashi, probably. And I've got the wood narrowed down to a few based on the page you linked to. There is already some precedent for unusual non-canon wands in HH, I believe, so we could probably make them as weird as we want.
Sorry for being so slow again, my workload's gotten pretty heavy. To make up for it, I'll move things right along to the wand-getting part! The clerk's an invented NPC, so you can play her too.))
"You'd make a good teacher here," Kakashi said approvingly. "Though you would mainly be dealing with adults. There are very few children at Hogwarts--thankfully..." It wasn't that Kakashi disliked children, but that Hogwarts seemed a rather poor environment for them, what with its history of sheltering paedophiles (a werewolf paedophile, no less) and rapists while offering no real protection from those types. "And I doubt very many intend to make this their permanent residence," he added, thinking it couldn't hurt to encourage Iruka's teaching ambitions--it would be a good way for someone of his temperament to pass the time.
He was aware of Iruka's scrutiny, and found it oddly exciting. He was no stranger to being stared at, but it wasn't often in that way, at least not that he'd noticed; he was admired for his skill and occasionally who he was as a person, but only rarely in other ways. And in truth he preferred it like that, to keep others at a safe emotional distance, but it was becoming a little difficult with Iruka... He liked this strange flirtation of theirs. He liked Iruka. Almost always had, really, which was partly why he'd been a bit of a dick to Iruka before, back home--it was fun riling him up, and so easy...
Feeling Iruka's hand brush his, he had the peculiar urge to take it. But refrained, of course. Walking into the village holding hands would be a little too weird. Still, he made no attempt to move away and even welcomed the seemingly incidental physical contact.
"I do," he replied to the question about teamwork, then drifted into a contemplative silence. He couldn't help feeling as though he'd failed all three of his students--Naruto and Sakura had both gone on to train under others, and Sasuke turned into a batshit Gary Stu... Sasuke was a sore spot. One which he fully intended to deal with himself when the time came. Sasuke was his fault and responsibility, far more than he'd ever be Naruto's.
Despite his distraction, he navigated the crowded street with ease and helped to guide Iruka toward the shop that sold wands first thing. The native witches and wizards had a healthy suspicion of those who wore masks, and Kakashi and Iruka received a few stares along the way, ranging from curious to hostile, but they remained unharassed. An elderly witch greeted them when they entered the shop.
"Come in, come in! You boys aren't from around here, eh?" The witch squinted at them from behind thick glasses. "Been getting lots'a you folks here the last few years. Something about Hogwarts letting in all types now... Good for business," she said cheerfully and gestured for them to step up to the counter. "Now I remember you from before," she told Kakashi, "no mistaking that grey hair of yours, don't see many younguns with it. You know a simple spell or two'd fix that right up for you, dearie, I could even recommend the place that does mine! Ahh, and who's your friend here?"
Kakashi gave Iruka an amused glance and motioned him forward. He was in good hands.
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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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"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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He'd noticed the sigh, and watched Iruka for several moments out of the corner of his eye. He didn't know Iruka's thoughts, but they weren't terribly hard to guess, given their conversation. He subtly picked up the pace, just a bit, thinking Hogsmeade would offer an excellent distraction from such brooding. Wand shopping in particular could be fun, and he was curious about what wood and core combination would best agree with Iruka even though Kakashi's own mun hasn't even decided on what his wand is yet. "I've had the good fortune to escape the Hat's notice since my own Sorting," he replied with a chuckle. Being able to disappear at a second's notice was especially helpful there.
"That would be the dragon." He was smiling again as he reached to touch Iruka's shoulder, the gesture one of camaraderie rather than just an excuse to touch him. "You'll get used to the strangeness, don't worry. Though it is nice to have a reminder of home here, something familiar..." He was meaning Iruka himself. "Do you have any plans yet, for how you'll keep busy at Hogwarts?"
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Iruka had noticed Kakashi's slight increase in speed for what it was, although he wasn't quite sure if it was a distraction for himself or for Kakashi. It was probably both. The thought of the town ahead turned his thoughts onto a similar line as Kakashi's - he was wondering what his wand would be like and so was his mun, who was looking at websites to help her and she will send them to you as they are useful. "That's lucky for you," he said, referring to the Hat. "On a different subject, how do you choose a wand?" He'd rather gotten the impression that wands were important, and he wanted to know as much about them as he could before he picked his.
Iruka shivered a little, and he supposed it might have looked like he was shivering at the dragon, but even the lightest touch from Kakashi had made a frisson of excitement run down his back. He wondered if his reactions to Kakashi were getting quickly worse, and thought that perhaps by the time Iruka had gotten his wand, if Kakashi touched him the area he'd come in contact with might spontaneously combust. He smiled at the thought, and then smiled again, even wider, at Kakashi's implication that he found Iruka.. what? Comforting?
"I don't know," he answered. "I'm curious about magic. I want to learn a lot of it.. which is why I'm disappointed that there are no lessons. If- if I can- I mean, if you're not busy-" he realised he was stammering and straightened out what he was trying to say, "I'd like to spar with you. I want to get better at fighting. That near miss I had-"
He stopped. Kakashi would know why he wanted to get better. The memory of Pain hung heavy over them both.
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"That depends on how one defines 'teacher'," Kakashi said dryly. "Of the appointed professors that I've observed, some appear only to enjoy harming their 'students' for their own amusement, without imparting any useful knowledge or experience in the process." His tone made it very clear what he thought of those so-called teachers: they were scum.
"The wand chooses you," he explained, his tone lightened with amusement. "You will know once you've found the wand that's meant to be yours." It was certainly an interesting experience, and he thought it might be more fun for Iruka if he were surprised. Kakashi had known immediately when he'd first held the wand that was to become his own, and had no doubt that it would be similar for Iruka, perceptive as he was.
The faint shivering hadn't escaped his notice, but he wasn't entirely sure what had caused it. Tentatively, he slipped his hand from Iruka's shoulder and down his back, lingering there for only a moment before he dropped his hand back to his side. It wasn't so blatant a gesture that it was rude, but nor was it so subtle that it could be brushed off as accidental. He hoped he hadn't been reading Iruka wrong...
He bit back a chuckle as Iruka stammered. "I'm not a very good teacher. But we can spar," he readily agreed, and resisted the temptation to make a joke about exhausting Iruka with some long, hard... sparring. It probably wasn't the time. The tall, steeply slanted rooftops of the little wizarding village were within view now, and Kakashi gestured toward them. "That's Hogsmeade up ahead." And the village was already fairly crowded from the looks of it, even as early as it was.
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Iruka watched Kakashi as he spoke, amused at his tone. "Maybe I'll teach, to spare the children - or whoever is learning," he suggested. "Once I learn magic, of course. Or I could still teach what I taught before, if people here have chakra. And if not, then I can teach taijutsu." He shrugged, looking away. "I still can't see myself staying here, though. I keep thinking I'll wake up and it'll all have been a dream. A really weird dream."
He wondered how a wand - a piece of wood, for all intents and purposes - could choose someone, but he supposed it was magic. It seemed to be the catch-all explanation. "That's reassuring," he said. "At least there's not some sort of test I need to pass or anything." He had a vision of a huge written exam and made a face. Just because he was a teacher didn't mean he liked boring exams. His students didn't realise that he was punishing himself as much as them when he gave out tests. They only had to do one.. but he had to mark thirty!
Iruka's mind went blank as the hairs on his neck rose. Kakashi had just- just- caressed him? Iruka didn't know, but it didn't seem like it was an accident. Could he have meant-
Iruka glanced sideways at Kakashi, under his lashes. The man, despite his mask, was handsome. He had a good profile - he had a good everything, confirmed his eyes, as his gaze flickered over Kakashi. Well, he wasn't just going to ignore it. But he wasn't going to say anything either. He allowed his hand to brush against Kakashi's hand, stepping a little closer as he did. They'd separated a little when they left the castle because of the space, and Iruka closed it to what it had been in the corridors - shoulders gently brushing. If Kakashi was uncomfortable, he'd move, Iruka reasoned.
He snorted at Kakashi's next words, though. "I look forward to our sparring, then. But - not a very good teacher? You liar," he said with a half-smile. "Naruto complained about you all the time, talking about how late you were, and how you made them do all the work - but every time he complained, I could see the lessons you were teaching them." He regarded Kakashi silently for a second, then commented, "You place a lot of importance on the value of teamwork, don't you?"
He looked away from Kakashi to the rooftops ahead. The village looked pretty, but busy. And although Iruka would never admit it, he was still nervous about getting his wand.
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Sorry for being so slow again, my workload's gotten pretty heavy. To make up for it, I'll move things right along to the wand-getting part! The clerk's an invented NPC, so you can play her too.))
"You'd make a good teacher here," Kakashi said approvingly. "Though you would mainly be dealing with adults. There are very few children at Hogwarts--thankfully..." It wasn't that Kakashi disliked children, but that Hogwarts seemed a rather poor environment for them, what with its history of sheltering paedophiles (a werewolf paedophile, no less) and rapists while offering no real protection from those types. "And I doubt very many intend to make this their permanent residence," he added, thinking it couldn't hurt to encourage Iruka's teaching ambitions--it would be a good way for someone of his temperament to pass the time.
He was aware of Iruka's scrutiny, and found it oddly exciting. He was no stranger to being stared at, but it wasn't often in that way, at least not that he'd noticed; he was admired for his skill and occasionally who he was as a person, but only rarely in other ways. And in truth he preferred it like that, to keep others at a safe emotional distance, but it was becoming a little difficult with Iruka... He liked this strange flirtation of theirs. He liked Iruka. Almost always had, really, which was partly why he'd been a bit of a dick to Iruka before, back home--it was fun riling him up, and so easy...
Feeling Iruka's hand brush his, he had the peculiar urge to take it. But refrained, of course. Walking into the village holding hands would be a little too weird. Still, he made no attempt to move away and even welcomed the seemingly incidental physical contact.
"I do," he replied to the question about teamwork, then drifted into a contemplative silence. He couldn't help feeling as though he'd failed all three of his students--Naruto and Sakura had both gone on to train under others, and Sasuke turned into a batshit Gary Stu... Sasuke was a sore spot. One which he fully intended to deal with himself when the time came. Sasuke was his fault and responsibility, far more than he'd ever be Naruto's.
Despite his distraction, he navigated the crowded street with ease and helped to guide Iruka toward the shop that sold wands first thing. The native witches and wizards had a healthy suspicion of those who wore masks, and Kakashi and Iruka received a few stares along the way, ranging from curious to hostile, but they remained unharassed. An elderly witch greeted them when they entered the shop.
"Come in, come in! You boys aren't from around here, eh?" The witch squinted at them from behind thick glasses. "Been getting lots'a you folks here the last few years. Something about Hogwarts letting in all types now... Good for business," she said cheerfully and gestured for them to step up to the counter. "Now I remember you from before," she told Kakashi, "no mistaking that grey hair of yours, don't see many younguns with it. You know a simple spell or two'd fix that right up for you, dearie, I could even recommend the place that does mine! Ahh, and who's your friend here?"
Kakashi gave Iruka an amused glance and motioned him forward. He was in good hands.
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