Christmas story - Day 2 through Day 7
Kakashi decided that Ibiki had nothing on Jack Frost. Sure Ibiki had torture techniques and awesome jutsus but that damn little sprite had a way of making it so your toes would never be warm again. He swore that the creature was actually merrily sucking away on them and while Kakashi may not mind that in the whole sense of someone sucking on his toes, he did mind the fact that they were cold and slightly tinged with white. He picked up his foot and examined it in disbelief. His toes were currently sporting miniature ice crystals.
He glared at the target. He was cold, grumpy, and now his toes were adorned with freaking icicles. That was it Kakashi had had it. He launched himself silently into the middle of the group he was supposed to be tracking. Someone was getting their asses kicked for making his day that much more miserable.
After the albeit brief fight, the jounin stared at his downed opponents. Okay, so maybe attacking and beating up a bunch of stuffed animals along with the crazed missing nin was a bit much, but those teddy bears had been asking for it sitting there all warm and happy. He punched the big one again, causing the stuffing to fly everywhere one last time. He glared at Pakkun who was watching him from the windowsill with a mixture of amusement and the need to call for a pretty white coat for his boss.
“It attacked me.”
“Sure it did, Boss. And I suppose that rabbit was its backup.”
“The rabbit was the front line with big pointy teeth and killer eyes.”
Pakkun rolled his eyes in exasperation, “You better grab the one you actually came for Boss, before the dolls manage to get their acts together and come save their friends. You know those lacy dresses are a real killer.”
“I hate you.”
Day 4:
It was cold as he slogged his way through the muck and snow covered streets of Konoha. A sudden cold snap had made the stupid streets slick with the mud turned frosted covered muck. He was less than amused. He had walked by the schoolyard but the cold had kept the children in and the curtains were closed against the biting chill. Kakashi grumbled as he stumbled home. He would turn in his mission report later when the chunin was in the mission room.
A hot shower, the heat turned up, and some rest later and Kakashi decided that he just might feel distinctly human again. But he wasn’t sure yet. After he managed to drag himself out to turn in his mission report, ignoring the old hag’s knowing grin as he turned in his report to the chocolate haired man. A smile and a wave before he vanished, and Kakashi was definitely feeling more like himself.
He curled up at home, never minding the whole sniffling from the cold he was warm inside. The chunin had smiled at him. Sure, he smiled at everyone, but Kakashi liked to pretend that the smile that Iruka gave him held something more than it did for the others.
He knew it was hopeless, but with it held in his hand before the roaring fire, he thought maybe the season gave him the right to hope.
Day 5:
Kakashi did not get sick. It was simply not in the book. He did his duty, he killed, he survived, he taught, but no where in the rule book did it say that Kakashi got sick. He had heard Tsunade saying something about flu season last night when he turned in his report, but he had been too busy watching Iruka to pay attention to the ramblings of an old woman.
Kakashi drug himself off the couch and shuffled his way out the door, not daring to jutsu his way to the hospital with how fuzzy his head felt. He leapt to the roof, swaying slightly as his balance readjusted. He was still trying to decide if he was going to make it to the hospital under his own two feet or just fall over on the roof when a familiar voice called out to him.
Later, Kakashi lay in a warm bed, the medicine Tsunade had given him making his head feel pleasantly fuzzy enough that he didn't care he was miserable. He could still feel the warmth of Iruka's arm wrapped around his waist as he helped him to the hospital. There had been concern in Iruka's voice, directed solely at him. Right then and there Kakashi decided that maybe having the flu wasn't such a bad thing.
Day 6:
Kakashi stared at the price tag of some only for the holiday's item that seemed exorbitantly high for something so useless. But all around him were shoppers willing to pay the extravagant prices for silly things. Kakashi bought a few essentials before heading home to drop them off. He pondered the whole buying spree people seemed to be having before deciding he just didn't understand it at all.
He stopped to watch the people going into the village welfare building looking for help with bills. Some of the same people he had seen in the stores buying things with abandon turned out to be the people who could least afford to spend the money. He stared for a while, hidden as he was on the roof at the myriad of people wandering through. He was suprised to see Iruka there, his hand holding a little girl's while he talked to the girl's mother.
"He does this every year," a sad voice told him. Kakashi looked askance of his friend.
Gai waved to the family Iruka was talking too, "He has his own bills, but every year he always tries to help his students. Some of them need more help than others. Her husband recently died in a mission and she is having trouble making the bills on her own. Iruka already paid one of them for her before bringing her here." Gai sighed. "I hope he remembered that he still has to pay his own. Being a chunin and only a teacher doesn't pay as much as running missions. Though personally I think those old men were insane when they said teaching was a low risk job."
Kakashi thought for a bit about the information before nodding to his friend. He spent the rest of the day doing a few discrete inquiries before arranging for some anonymous gifting of his own.
Day 7:
Kakashi decided that he officially hated carols. He didn't care which ones, he hated them all. He stalked to the mission office in a particularly foul mood after having tried to do some grocery shopping and then some early christmas shopping for his dogs but everywhere were carols being sung. The radio played them, the street corners were full of people singing them, badly he might add. The worse were the ones sung by children with their little out of tune squeaky voices that just plain jangled his nerves with their horrible dissidence.
The mission office was no better. The radio was on there and jounin and chunin alike were having a kaoroke contest singing along to the tunes. It took all of Kakashi's self control to just not chidori the next moron who opened his mouth to sing about some stupid tree in their living room. Really, if Kakashi wanted a tree in his living room he would have moved in with Yamato.
The one bright spot of the day was when he finally saw the one he had been looking for sitting at the desk talking to the spiky haired annoyance who was usually in the office. Kakashi felt it burning a hole in his pocket, just itching for him to get up the courage to say something to the man.
He handed his report to him, a smile crinkling his eye. Iruka smiled back saying that he was glad Kakashi was feeling better. Kakashi just laughed sheepishly, saying that he was pretty sure that he wouldn't have been sick long, it wasn't in the regulation books. Iruka laughed with him, a soft low chuckle that Kakashi decided was the most beautiful sound he had ever heard. That was what angels sounded like.
He glared at the target. He was cold, grumpy, and now his toes were adorned with freaking icicles. That was it Kakashi had had it. He launched himself silently into the middle of the group he was supposed to be tracking. Someone was getting their asses kicked for making his day that much more miserable.
After the albeit brief fight, the jounin stared at his downed opponents. Okay, so maybe attacking and beating up a bunch of stuffed animals along with the crazed missing nin was a bit much, but those teddy bears had been asking for it sitting there all warm and happy. He punched the big one again, causing the stuffing to fly everywhere one last time. He glared at Pakkun who was watching him from the windowsill with a mixture of amusement and the need to call for a pretty white coat for his boss.
“It attacked me.”
“Sure it did, Boss. And I suppose that rabbit was its backup.”
“The rabbit was the front line with big pointy teeth and killer eyes.”
Pakkun rolled his eyes in exasperation, “You better grab the one you actually came for Boss, before the dolls manage to get their acts together and come save their friends. You know those lacy dresses are a real killer.”
“I hate you.”
Day 4:
It was cold as he slogged his way through the muck and snow covered streets of Konoha. A sudden cold snap had made the stupid streets slick with the mud turned frosted covered muck. He was less than amused. He had walked by the schoolyard but the cold had kept the children in and the curtains were closed against the biting chill. Kakashi grumbled as he stumbled home. He would turn in his mission report later when the chunin was in the mission room.
A hot shower, the heat turned up, and some rest later and Kakashi decided that he just might feel distinctly human again. But he wasn’t sure yet. After he managed to drag himself out to turn in his mission report, ignoring the old hag’s knowing grin as he turned in his report to the chocolate haired man. A smile and a wave before he vanished, and Kakashi was definitely feeling more like himself.
He curled up at home, never minding the whole sniffling from the cold he was warm inside. The chunin had smiled at him. Sure, he smiled at everyone, but Kakashi liked to pretend that the smile that Iruka gave him held something more than it did for the others.
He knew it was hopeless, but with it held in his hand before the roaring fire, he thought maybe the season gave him the right to hope.
Day 5:
Kakashi did not get sick. It was simply not in the book. He did his duty, he killed, he survived, he taught, but no where in the rule book did it say that Kakashi got sick. He had heard Tsunade saying something about flu season last night when he turned in his report, but he had been too busy watching Iruka to pay attention to the ramblings of an old woman.
Kakashi drug himself off the couch and shuffled his way out the door, not daring to jutsu his way to the hospital with how fuzzy his head felt. He leapt to the roof, swaying slightly as his balance readjusted. He was still trying to decide if he was going to make it to the hospital under his own two feet or just fall over on the roof when a familiar voice called out to him.
Later, Kakashi lay in a warm bed, the medicine Tsunade had given him making his head feel pleasantly fuzzy enough that he didn't care he was miserable. He could still feel the warmth of Iruka's arm wrapped around his waist as he helped him to the hospital. There had been concern in Iruka's voice, directed solely at him. Right then and there Kakashi decided that maybe having the flu wasn't such a bad thing.
Day 6:
Kakashi stared at the price tag of some only for the holiday's item that seemed exorbitantly high for something so useless. But all around him were shoppers willing to pay the extravagant prices for silly things. Kakashi bought a few essentials before heading home to drop them off. He pondered the whole buying spree people seemed to be having before deciding he just didn't understand it at all.
He stopped to watch the people going into the village welfare building looking for help with bills. Some of the same people he had seen in the stores buying things with abandon turned out to be the people who could least afford to spend the money. He stared for a while, hidden as he was on the roof at the myriad of people wandering through. He was suprised to see Iruka there, his hand holding a little girl's while he talked to the girl's mother.
"He does this every year," a sad voice told him. Kakashi looked askance of his friend.
Gai waved to the family Iruka was talking too, "He has his own bills, but every year he always tries to help his students. Some of them need more help than others. Her husband recently died in a mission and she is having trouble making the bills on her own. Iruka already paid one of them for her before bringing her here." Gai sighed. "I hope he remembered that he still has to pay his own. Being a chunin and only a teacher doesn't pay as much as running missions. Though personally I think those old men were insane when they said teaching was a low risk job."
Kakashi thought for a bit about the information before nodding to his friend. He spent the rest of the day doing a few discrete inquiries before arranging for some anonymous gifting of his own.
Day 7:
Kakashi decided that he officially hated carols. He didn't care which ones, he hated them all. He stalked to the mission office in a particularly foul mood after having tried to do some grocery shopping and then some early christmas shopping for his dogs but everywhere were carols being sung. The radio played them, the street corners were full of people singing them, badly he might add. The worse were the ones sung by children with their little out of tune squeaky voices that just plain jangled his nerves with their horrible dissidence.
The mission office was no better. The radio was on there and jounin and chunin alike were having a kaoroke contest singing along to the tunes. It took all of Kakashi's self control to just not chidori the next moron who opened his mouth to sing about some stupid tree in their living room. Really, if Kakashi wanted a tree in his living room he would have moved in with Yamato.
The one bright spot of the day was when he finally saw the one he had been looking for sitting at the desk talking to the spiky haired annoyance who was usually in the office. Kakashi felt it burning a hole in his pocket, just itching for him to get up the courage to say something to the man.
He handed his report to him, a smile crinkling his eye. Iruka smiled back saying that he was glad Kakashi was feeling better. Kakashi just laughed sheepishly, saying that he was pretty sure that he wouldn't have been sick long, it wasn't in the regulation books. Iruka laughed with him, a soft low chuckle that Kakashi decided was the most beautiful sound he had ever heard. That was what angels sounded like.