The Truth Beneath the Rose [part 1]

[chidorikakashi]

Who: Iruka and Kakashi
When: January 26, Tuesday
Where: Some Caves and a Restaurant
Summary: Kakashi and Iruka go on the 'date' Iruka set up.
Rating: T (adult concepts and language)
Warnings: Kissing and Sex talks



Kakashi had only spent an hour getting ready for the date. A shower, a brand new pair of jeans, a plain white tanktop and a nice pale blue buttonup to match his hair to the jeans. The website had said it was... important to match clothes with shoes so that had been... a little more irritating, trying to find an appropriately colored pair of shoes when all he could find in his closet was his work shoes, sandals and a pair of hiking boots. He supposed he needed new shoes, anyway, he couldn't seem to find his running shoes. Then again they were old enough Pakkun had probably decided they were his, now.

If that had been it, it would have been nice, but instead while he was at the mall getting the shoes he'd had to pick up some cologne since that had been on the list and he hadn't liked the strong smelling axe varieties he'd found at the grocery store, before. The woman at the department store wouldn't shut up, though, and it took almost twenty minutes of her swooning about his date (more than he had, definitely) before she'd just sell him a nice cologne and let him get the hell out of there. Though she'd actually also suggested a silver necklace, which when he got home and tried on he decided he liked with the outfit.

By the end of it he just wanted to flop down on the bed and die until Iruka got there, but he had to keep even the minimum of dog hair off his new clothes.

After figuring out where Kakashi lived, Iruka considered what the best possible 'date' would be. He'd crossed off anything formal like nice sit down restaurants and dancing because they were, in his opinion, silly and reserved for if he was taking a girl out since she'd expect it. The places tended to be uncomfortable and stuffy which made for bad dates he thought. Then he'd crossed off all restaurants in the area because he assumed Kakashi had probably been to them a dozen times. He'd crossed off the movie theater, not because he didn't like them but because you ended up spending two hours in them 'avoiding' talking to your date and the last thing Kakashi needed was practice avoiding the actual part of the date. In the end he thought he'd reached a good decision in hiking up the cliffs. You had to spend time talking to the person you were with which would be good practice even though they'd talked about a lot of stuff anyway. The fact that it was mildly active would be good for burning off nervous energy which was normal on first dates. Plus, there was a restaurant at the top that had good food. He smiled, extremely proud of himself and figuring he could explain the logic to Kakashi so that the man would be able to plan a date without resorting to the bad ideas that were so common.

Iruka threw on a clean pair of jeans, a t-shirt, his hiking boots and pulled his hair back and called it good, only stopping to grab his bookbag and throw some bottles of water from the fridge in it before heading out the door. He skipped on driving since they'd be hiking anyway and headed for Kakashi's.

When the doorbell finally rang Kakashi stopped dead in his tracks from where he'd been pacing, but it took him a few moments before he was able to calmly make his way to the door. His stomach was in knots and he didn't even know why... but he didn't have to look like it was.

The instant Kakashi had opened the door... he realized he'd already fucked up.

Iruka's eyes widened slightly as he took in the fact Kakashi had dressed up. He had to admit Kakashi looked good, enough in fact that it took him a second to stop staring. "Wow..." It made him wonder if he should change plans but then he'd have to go change and Kakashi was technically wearing jeans. "You look nice." 'Nice' was not an accurate description but his brain didn't seem to be cooperating. It wasn't until Pakkun's paws hit his leg that he managed  look away. Grateful for the distraction he scooped the small dog up. "Do you want to come with us, hmm?" he asked, all but cooing at the dog.

Kakashi was a bit grateful for the distraction too, watching as Iruka picked up the dog and started cuddling it. He felt overdressed now, even though it was a stupid website that told him not to dress comfortably on a casual date. "Where are we going?"

"If I tell you, it'll ruin some of the fun," Iruka said looking up. "Does he need a leash or does he just follow you everywhere without one?" Pakkun would make a good distraction and Iruka was fairly sure he would need one to keep from staring at Kakashi. The half-buttoned shirt had his brain going in a direction it shouldn't on a 'pretend' date.

"He just follows..." Kakashi knew that meant it was an outdoors plan right off the bat. "But if... there's anything indoors planned I'd still need to bring a leash. Are you sure I don't need to... change?"

The question had him looking Kakashi over again and Iruka realized then that the clothes, even the shoes, were new. He flushed slightly at the realization that Kakashi had gone through the trouble for him. Iruka was fairly sure he'd made it clear it wasn't a real date but now he couldn't remember for sure. Kakashi was probably just... covering his bases since he hadn't told the man where they were going. It had nothing to do with him, Iruka reassured himself of the fact before shaking his head at Kakashi's question. "I'm sure." He couldn't very well ask the man to change just so his brain would start functioning again and not be stuck on the 'wow, he's hot' message. "And, no there is nothing that requires a leash, now stop fishing for hints." Grabbing Kakashi's hand, he pulled him outside. "No changing, no leash, and no fishing... Any other questions that don't break those rules?"

"Um... I guess not." Kakashi hoped this wasn't going to be bad. They were already mismatched, and hopefully it was the worst of it. Though...well, he knew for a fact he hadn't dressed for outdoors, maybe Iruka had something planned that wouldn't have him ruining brand new clothes. "Are we... walking?"

Iruka nodded, letting go of Kakashi's hand so the man would be able to lock his door. "I don't drive unless I have to and we're not that far from where a car would be pointless anyway." He stepped down from the porch and scratch Pakkun's stomach again before letting the dog down.

"That's fine." If Kakashi drove, he only had his undercover car anyhow. "I don't mind walking." He walked Pakkun once a day, though he knew he should get back into jogging more than twice a week to supplement his martial arts. But now, as the walked it was time to say things, wasn't it? "So you don't live too far from here. I didn't realize. How was the walk over?" Bland, tacky, almost textbook. He quickly bit the inside of his cheek and hoped Iruka didn't notice. And well... it reminded him he should have thought ahead and brought a second mask.

"A little under a mile that way," Iruka said pointing towards his place. "So, no, not that far." He chuckled at the rather awkward question about his walk. "The walk over was nice." It had only taken him about fifteen minutes  and he hadn't been hurrying, mostly because he didn't want to show up too early. "What do you usually do on your days off? You know when your not being dragged offic to some unknown destination and at the mercy of someone else."

Kakashi knew they'd talked about something similar before, but it wasn't important now. "I ah, read and do martial arts, mostly." It was the same answer he'd given before too. "And you?"

"Same..." Iruka was hoping the familiar conversation would make it easier for Kakashi to relax. "What made you decide to become a cop?" Not a question he'd asked before but still something that would be easy for Kakashi to talk about without having to think too hard.

"To stop bad things from happening to people, I suppose is the main reason." It wasn't as specific as it could have been, but Kakashi wasn't going to go into to much detail as of now. What's the reason you picked you section of investigation?"

"It's where the gangs get their money and usually they do it at the expense of a kid who either doesn't have a choice or doesn't know better." Iruka had seen enough of the gangs to know that much. "I might not be able to stop it entirely..." It would be stupid to think he could. "...but I might save a kid from screwing their life up completely." He knew from experience it was hard for a kid to get out of a gang but he'd seen one of his best friends manage it. Knowing there were more kids like her out there made him want to try to help.

"You like kids a lot..." Kakashi pointed out, though not randomly, at least. "Why did you decide policework instead of say... being a teacher?"

Iruka had considered it but in the end decided against it. "My aunt and uncle are teachers and I don't know how many times I've heard them say they didn't think they were making a difference. I don't want to go home from my job thinking that even though I know a good teacher makes a huge difference." Konoha had needed more police officers and he'd decided that was where he could make the most difference. "Under other circumstances I probably would be a teacher." If times had been more peaceful  that is. "So who had the biggest influence on your life?"

That question was a double edged sword, though of course Iruka wouldn't have known that. "The most? Probably my father. He was only around until I was seven, but if not for him my life wouldn't have gone the way it has." Hopefully that didn't sound bitter or anything. "Why? Who was yours?"

Iruka didn't comment on the fact that Kakashi sounded... sad, just nodded. "My parents first, obviously." Iruka tapped his nose, indicating the scar and what he'd said earlier about his mom teaching him pranks. "After they died probably Sarutobi-san. He made it a lot easier to get through that." His aunt and uncle hadn't been much help and being stuck in an orphange for months while the legal stuff was handled had only made things worse. "And not Asuma, his dad." Asuma had left home by that point so he hadn't been around.

"Hiruzen was my master in Aikido." Kakashi gave a nod. He had also been one of three people who had ever even remotely cared about him since his parents died. None of those three people were alive now.

"Mizuki got me into it." He wondered if that made it obvious why he'd left his old dojo. "It makes sense with Hiruzen though now I have to wonder if all those pranks I pulled, he just let me get away with them." Iruka wanted to pout because they didn't count if he'd been allowed to pull them off. "Why did you take up Aikido?"

"It was a matter of distraction, to be honest. At first I was doing a little of everything. My father started me on it when I was young, he loved martial arts, he was extremely talented, and I looked up to that. I kept doing them even after my father died, but well... Hiruzen knew my father, when he found out later that I was trying to learn a bit of everything, he focused me more. I guess I was.... naturally good at it." It was hard to talk about himself, definitely, but Kakashi was trying not to get too personal. The website had said to try not to on a first date, that the other person didn't want anything extra on their plate afterwards. "It was a method of focus, control... a lot of things, a good outlet."

"Naturally good... that's an understatement," Iruka chuckled. It surprised him how easy it was getting to get along with Kakashi. Despite his previous remark about Kakashi's lack of modesty, he was realizing that he liked listening to the man talk about himself. "The fact that you studied other martial arts explains a lot." The way Kakashi moved was different and made him hard to read. "So while my mother was teaching me chaos and anarchy your father was teaching you self control and discipline..." He laughed at the contradicting parenting styles. "I bet they would have gotten along wonderfully."

Touching Kakashi's arm briefly, Iruka indicated the side street and headed down it. The entrance to the stairs that climbed up the face of the cliff was at the end. "What did your dad do for a living?"

"He was a cop." Kakashi paused, that wasn't exactly it. "A Chief of Police in the next district over." He was never comfortable talking about the scandal, or what had happened to his mother, so he simply didn't. "And your mother..."

Iruka noticed the way Kakashi tensed, but again decided not to mention it, figuring calling attention to the fact would make Kakashi more uncomfortable. "She was an EMT. You'd think she'd have freaked a little less over my getting hurt but every single time I did she would panic," he said as they reached the steps.

The rock steps were technically wide enough for four people to walk abreast but he knew it was closer to three and he considered for a second if he should keep himself a step ahead or behind Kakashi then decided against it. He did however make sure he was to the outside, out of courtesy. "My father was a firefighter and yes they met on the job. She liked him so she'd make sure she was the one to patch him up when he got hurt so she could talk to him." Iruka smirked, thinking about the story his parents had told him. "He was dating another EMT and when my mom found out she started terrorizing them both. The girl ended up transferring to a different unit just to avoid my mother and broke up with my dad at the same time because he thought it was funny."

"She sounds like a frightening woman..." Nothing like Kakashi's own mother, who'd been mild and traditional, if memory served. Then again, he hadn't been very old when she got sick.

"She was a pushover really... I don't think either of my parents ever punished me for anything, not really anyway." He'd gotten things withheld for not cleaning his room or what not but for the most part he behaved strictly because he had his parents full attention near constantly. "I'm assuming you don't have any siblings from the way you talk, am I right?"

Kakashi shook his head. "No, no siblings. It doesn't sound like you do, either."

"No, just insane friends. Used to come up here with them and climb around in the caves." Iruka pointed up towards one of the larger ones. "There's a smaller cave just above that one that you have to stand on a bunch of rocks to get into. We used to camp there." You couldn't really see it from this angle because of how the rocks jutted out which was another advantage. "I was going to show you but..." Iruka shrugged. "It has a nice view of the city but well we can see that from the top too so it's no big deal."

"Oh..." Kakashi paused, brushing a hand through his hair. "I... didn't mean to ruin your plans. I'm sorry..." It sounded like it had been a special thing, even romantic at the right time of day.

Iruka had wanted to take him there because Kakashi had never been on a date and it should be something special. "We can still go through the caves. That one's just a little hard to get to." They hit the first main landing and Iruka paused for a second then grabbed Kakashi's hand and dragged him into the cave. "You can see the underground river from this one." It wasn't as good but at least Kakashi wouldn't ruin his clothes. "They keep this entire thing lit for the tourist, well so long as you stay on the path."

"Is that something you're not supposed to do?" Kakashi quirked a brow, letting himself get tugged along. "You should have let me change my shoes..."

"Well... if you don't get caught you can't get into trouble..." Iruka pulled Kakashi down the path, the light from the entrance disappearing entirely as they made their way. The lights were LEDs that were inlaid into the railings  and wall. "I would have but you went to a lot of trouble and I don't know, I figured it'd be better if I just changed my plans a little."

Kakashi stopped, tugging Iruka to a stop as well. "Just a second." Unbuttoning the rest of his shirt, Kakashi pulled it off and tied it around his waist. The undershirt would be much easier to move around in if Iruka wanted to go off the path a bit. It might get dirty or dusty, but it wouldn't be ruined. Well.. the pants would be fine and as long as it was just the once the shoes would survive.

When they'd been at the hotsprings, Iruka had very deliberately not stared, but when Kakashi had stopped him and started pulling the shirt off it had grabbed Iruka's attention and he couldn't entirely help it. He hoped the low light made it less obvious that he'd taken a moment to actually admire the other man, particularly his arms.  The shirt gone actually made Iruka wish he'd paid better attention before. "Ready?" he asked.

"Ready." Fortunately for Iruka, Kakashi couldn't see that much in the low light, at least not as far as the positioning of anyone's eyes. "Wherever you want to go." He glanced down at Pakkun, who'd been a good boy and followed quietly up to this point. The dog was staring up at Iruka expectantly, still quiet despite his tongue hanging out and his tail wagging enthusiastically. "Anything you think he can handle, I'll be fine."

Iruka scooped the dog up, as much for a distraction for himself as anything else. "This way..." He grabbed Kakashi's hand with his free one and pulled him around the corner. "Watch your head up here." Even he had to duck slightly. They were still technically on the path when they came out the other side of the low tunnel. The lights from the railing sparkled back up at them from the water and Iruka pulled Kakashi towards a small bridge. The water was smooth as glass, not a ripple on it and it reflected the ceiling of the cave making it appear as though it was nothing but deep hollow in the ground.

The rocks were practically glowing. Kakashi took a good look around, making sure he absorbed the image sprawled out in front of him. When he moved up beside Iruka he could look down and see the three of them like he was looking in a mirror. "Beautiful..."

Chewing his lip for a second, Iruka set Pakkun down and fished in his pocket for a couple of coins. "Here," he said, taking Kakashi's hand and sliding the coin into it. "Anything you wish for here will come true." It was something that was actually allowed too, the money scooped out and donated to charity once a year. It was a silly tourist thing to do but Iruka couldn't resist doing it whenever he was there.

"I..." Kakashi bit his cheek beneath the mask. He had told himself he didn't have dreams or aspirations anymore, but it would be rude. He had to... think of something. "Okay. You don't say it out loud, right?"

Iruka shook his head. "No."  He'd gone through all kinds of wishes as a kid and he'd told Anko and Mizuki most of them but none that he really meant.

"Is there a trick to this, a way it's supposed to be done?" Kakashi wanted to make sure he did it right, at least.

"Just close your eyes, picture what you want, and toss your coin." Iruka smiled, enjoying watching Kakashi.

Kakashi thought about it a moment, deciding on something that was possibly attainable to play it safe. He closed his eyes, closing his hand over the coin as he did as he was told and pictured it. Then he flicked the coin out into the water, hearing it plunk into the water in the distance.

Pakkun let out a single yap and jumped into the water. It was enough to have Kakashi's eyes open and he smiled, laughing lightly at the now sopping wet little pug.

Iruka laughed at the small dog splashing across the shallow water, clearly looking for the coin Kakashi had thrown like it was a stick he was supposed to retrieve.  "Here I am being good and your dog breaks the rules."

Kakashi ruffled the back of his hair, chuckling and letting his eyes upturn almost apologetically. "I can't always control what he does. Who knows, maybe he knows what he's doing."

"Maybe, he's just worried your wish will get lost in all of the others," Iruka said then flipped his hand over so he could stare at the coin in the palm of it. "I hope it comes true, whatever it is." He closed his eyes then turned his palm over and let the coin slide off it and into the water only a few feet from his hand. "I didn't want to hit him..." Iruka explained, though that wasn't the entire truth.

Moving to the edge, Kakashi let out a low whistle and called Pakkun back, though he didn't exactly want to pick him up now that he was all wet. "Hopefully a dog in the pool doesn't negate your wish." Iruka's of course, since if his didn't happen it would be all right.

"I'm sure it won't affect it anymore than my walking around barefoot in the thing did," Iruka said shaking his head. "I used  walk out there, to the end that's the shallowest. If you face the right direction it almost looks like you're standing on nothing."

"Okay. So then as long as you don't tell me, it'll come true." Iruka probably couldn't tell that Kakashi was smiling. "But on the down side, we'll have to smell wet dog for a while." Maybe this date wasn't going to be as much of a disaster as he thought it would be.

"That's not so bad then hmm?" Iruka smiled and grabbed Kakashi's hand to pull him off in another direction. "We can get to the main cave from here." It was the one he'd pointed out before. "All of these caves are connected, though you can't get to some of them unless you crawl on your stomach in the dark for a good ways. They even have guided tours for that kind of stuff but I prefer to just explore them on my own."

"What kind of place are we going to, then? Is it one of the crawling ones?" Kakashi wasn't sure how much of that Pakkun would take to, but that was up to Iruka, ultimately.

Iruka chuckled and shook his head. "No, for those you actually should have equipment and gloves and somebody who knows what they're doing in case of a cave in. In my opinion nobody should ever do something like that for a first date. Your anxiety would already be high and even somebody who's not claustrophobic can find that particular space a bit too confining. Your date having an anxiety attack or you having one yourself, even if you don't end up in the emergency room is not something you want to risk when you're getting to know somebody," Iruka explained, hoping the information would be useful to Kakashi should he actually ask somebody out. The last thing you wanted to associate with your first date is negative emotions like anxiety. "Besides that part of the caves gets quite cold and neither of us is dressed for it." They were still in the larger caves close to the front so the temperature was only about ten degrees cooler than the outside at the worst.

"So we're going to a different cave?" It didn't quite answer Kakashi's question, only half of it.

"Yeah... I figured you can least get the view of the city from the main cave and well you can see some of the smaller cave without having to climb." Iruka led him through another tunnel and out into a huge cavern. "This way..." Iruka let go of Kakashi's hand and ducked under the railing. They were actually higher up in this cave and just above where the main part of the river was so while it was dry there was the soft rush of water. He headed for the mouth of the cave, where sunlight was spilling in. "The tour groups go by the mouth of the cave but it's too narrow for them to build a path between these stalagmites so it's not as good a view." It was why he thought 'his' cave had the best view, it was nearly completely dark on one side and completely open and bright on the other.

Kakashi followed wordlessly. Iruka knew the way and the plan, he was just going with whatever the other man wanted to do. Pakkun was more than happy to follow and to explore and sniff the ground around them.

Iruka disappeared behind a pillar then stopped. "Watch the edge, the drop off is pretty sharp." It was at least two or three stories down to the stairs. From here though you could see the entire city.

"The view is nice..." He was sure that it wasn't the cave Iruka raved about, but it was something. And that well, was likely more special that what they had going so far. Kakashi had to help Pakkun so he didn't fall, even if the dog was smelling very.... wet still. "Bet it's even nicer at night..."

"Yeah, we probably should have grabbed dinner first. The view from the top is nice too though." Iruka leaned back against the pillar. "And, well... normally I'd have set the date later." If it had been a 'real' date he probably would have.

Kakashi paused, blinked a little. "Why's that?"

"Well there are exceptions but generally if you set the date later your intentions are different than if you set it earlier. Later implies either that you want a romantic relationship or sex even if you're not going to say jump into bed with person right then. There are of course other reasons to have dates later, schedules or what you plan to do." Iruka slid his hands in his pockets, still staring out at the city as opposed to at Kakashi. "And not to say earlier dates can't be with somebody your interested in but usually if you set them earlier or even over lunch than the person is usually just a friend. That or you're moving the relationship extremely slowly because you're treatin them like a friend or extremely fast because you spend every minute with them." He'd actually picked the time to be late enough to be a 'romantic' date because Kakashi had never been on one, but early enough it wouldn't imply that he wanted to jump into bed with Kakashi  since it wouldn't be horribly late when it was over.

"So...what kind of date is this supposed to be?" From the way it sounded, Kakashi was torn. It was before dinner still, but too late for lunch so...

Iruka turned to look at Kakashi, wishing he wasn't wearing that stupid mask all the time and making it hard to read his expressions. "It's... a compromise between the two."

"A compromise?" That didn't sound very good... Kakashi didn't shift his expression, even if that earlier radiance had drastically disintegrated. Instead he just looked out over the view. Pakkun had decided to park in between them, even if he was still wet and smelly.

"I wasn't actually sure when to set it for... I'm not trying to get you into bed or well into a relationship." If he'd planned it better instead of on the spur of the moment he might have been able to figure out which was more appropriate. "I just wanted you to go on a date because... they can be a lot of fun and everyone should go on dates even if they're never in a relationship."

So this was set up as a fake. Kakashi paused for a moment. Somehow he felt like he should have known it. "Right. A fake date." He tried to sound like he'd known the whole time. Now that he thought about it, there was no other reason for Iruka to have asked him out. Not only should he have known it before now, he was downright stupid for thinking otherwise.

The moment Kakashi called it that, Iruka realized he'd made a mistake. "I was thinking more like practice, but I guess there's not really a difference." He felt like an ass despite his supposedly good intentions. "Sorry..." Iruka stared at the ground rather than at Kakashi or out over the city. "Told you before I have a habit of screwing things up even when I'm not actually in a relationship." The only thing he could think of that he'd screwed up worse was the thing with Mizuki.

Iruka didn't say anything or a few minutes as he tried to figure out how he'd managed to screw everything up as badly as he had. "I should have asked you out on a real date... I'm not even quite sure why I didn't, why I convinced myself it had to be a... fake one." He wondered if it had to do with what Kakashi had said before about him being insecure or if he'd simply not wanted to admit he was attracted to Kakashi.

"It's all right. It's fine." Kakashi just knew better now, not to think anything of it. "You're right. I need the practice."

It wasn't okay as far as Iruka was concerned but there wasn't anything he could do about it right then. "If you tell Pakkun to stay will he stay put?" Iruka asked, looking over at Kakashi. If he wouldn't Iruka had a solution he just needed to know before hand if he'd need to use it.

"Usually..." Kakashi quirked a brow, not sure where Iruka was going, and worried since he'd been so gullible in the first place. "Unless something important happens, he's not a great tracker or guard dog, but he tries."

"I just wanted to know if he'd wander off if left alone for a little bit. I can block the area off if need be I just wasn't sure if I needed to." Iruka scooped the dog up despite the fact it would get him a little wet. "Come  on." He stepped around the pillar and headed back into the main part of the cave veering off away from the trail they'd been on though.

What now? Were they moving on? "Where are we going, now?" Kakashi might usually be good when it came to detective work, but Iruka wasn't following the typical rules of the game. The fact he'd asked about Pakkun, that said they were going somewhere the dog couldn't...but it was a fake date, so instead of something intimate it was going to be something else. Maybe a place? But then the dog could come.

"I'm not telling you, surprising you is half the fun," Iruka said, turning around to grin at Kakashi even as he wound his way through the maze created by the pillars and stalagmites. "You can guess if you want but I won't tell you even if you're right." He stepped over a crack and onto a natural stairway of rocks, not breaking stride even a little as he did. "You're going to have to take your shoes off and well you should probably hand me the shirt so I can throw it in my backpack otherwise it'll get dirty." Iruka stopped in front of a hole that barely five feet high. "It's kind of dark in there so you might want to do it now,"  he said, setting Pakkun down so he could pull his backpack off.

"Umm... all right." Then he'd keep his guesses to himself, right or wrong. Kakashi untied the shirt first, since it was easier than the shoes. "And you sure Pakkun can't come?" He just wanted to be sure. The dog could swim, but if that were the case he'd hope the little guy would stay behind.

Iruka considered it for a moment as he smoothed out the shirt. "I suppose we could carry him in the backpack. We could just leave the shirt and shoes down here." The shirt wouldn't get too dirty if they were on top of the shoes at least. He tucked it under one arm and pulled out the two bottles of water, sticking them in side pockets instead. "I think he'd fit..."

Climbing, then. "Maybe I should carry him?" Just in case, Iruka didn't need to be responsible for Kakashi's dog.

"Alright." He set the bag down and picked up Pakkun. "No wiggling or trying to get out okay?" Iruka knelt down so he could put the dog in the bag while Kakashi got his shoes off. "You're shoes aren't terrible for it but it's easier to do with them off and there's nothing you can cut your feet on so..." He fully intended to take his off after he loaded the dog up and got him settled on Kakashi's back.

"You don't really have to be so mysterious." Kakashi pointed out, finally having his shoes off and the backpack on. "It's not like you're trying to impress me or vice versa."

Frowning, Iruka pulled his shoes off. He didn't have a right to have his feelings hurt since it was after all him who'd decided on the practice date. "You're probably right but you'll survive not knowing for the few minutes it takes to get there." He set his shoes to the side and ducked into the tunnel, clearly expecting Kakashi to follow him into the antechamber.

Fortunately for both of them, Pakkun was very used to being hauled around in a backpack. It made the trip easier, even if the dog was heavier than the backpack would have been before it was emptied out. " You're just one surprise after another..."

Iruka waited until Kakashi was through then turned and started to climb up the side with various footholds, some he and Anko had made themselves. The room was dark except for a light blue glow and it took his eyes a while to get used to it. He went up first both because of that and because he knew the way and it'd make it easier if Kakashi saw which footholds he used. "I just thought since you'd never been on a date before it should be something memorable. I guess it doesn't really count though and I probably should have just stuck to something like a movie." He sighed and then hauled himself over the edge then leaned over to watch Kakashi. "I kind of wanted to make up for screwing things up and well this is where I wanted to bring you in the first place."

Truthfully it wasn't that hard of a climb, but it was a good thing, really. It made Pakkun's extra weight simple, and Kakashi easily pulled himself to the top. "I guess... it's not exactly plausible to take dates to the caves every single time. It would make for an impressive first date, make a good impression... but it's not exactly safe if you don't know too much about someone or if they're not in the greatest shape..."

"To be honest I didn't really factor that part in, well except for the fact I thought it would be impressive." Iruka moved away, sitting down in his spot, the one he'd picked to watch the glow worms and leaned back against a rock. "Movies aren't memorable, not really anyway. I can't remember the first one I went to or even who I went with. I could guess but I'd probably be wrong. I remember finding this place though." He shrugged despite the fact that the light was low enough it'd probably be missed. "I just kind of thought a first date should have that unforgettable quality to it, something you can compare the rest to or something." Technically he knew Kakashi could still but Iruka was fairly sure it'd be in the 'can't be worse than' category. "I didn't count on it not counting..."

"I'm sure I wouldn't have forgotten. It's not like I have a date every day." Or ever, and at his age that meant something. Even if it was the date that almost was, even if it was a fake date out of pity or anything like that. All of those things considered, he wouldn't be forgetting it anytime soon. He would have loved to appreciate the caves to their fullest, but that feeling had burned off shortly after the wishing pool. "So I guess maybe you should teach me what I'm supposed to do, while we're here..."

Iruka shifted, debating if he should get up. "Well to be honest it was probably a bad idea to drag you up here." The whole thing was a bad idea but he'd have been better off dragging Kakashi out of the caves and up for food. "On the one hand dates are about sharing things like this, either exploring new places together or sharing important places with the other person because you get know each other and share something that's important to you with them." The second part had been his own internal logic even after things had gotten messed up. He shoved himself to his feet. "Here's where I'd show you the view, the one that's better just because the rocks jut out and give enough space for setting up camp. Then because it'd be later than it is we'd get to see the sun set over the city which as cheesy as it sounds is actually really nice." Saying it made him wish it was later and that he hadn't opened his mouth.

"I doubt I could come up with something of that sort..." Kakashi knew he didn't have much, and that taking someone to any place that meant something to him was a bad idea, too emotionally involved and depressing. "So I... don't know. I still feel like I'm in the dark about what I'm supposed to do. Though I don't know if I'll ever have a reason to use this. But I should know... just in case." It was hard getting over how stupid he'd been. "What would we do after this? When the sun went down?"

"Kakashi, I really think you underestimate yourself sometimes... " Iruka stepped back over, knowing they'd have to climb down in a moment. "For one movies work I was just being an idiot. Second, there are probably a lot of people who'd be interested." His stomach knotted up slightly at that thought because he had no doubts that it was true. "Trust me, because if I wasn't a complete idiot I would have asked you on a real date or at least kept my mouth shut after the fact since up until that point I was having fun." He shifted and looked over at where they'd climbed up.

Kakashi nodded, but in all reality he knew it didn't matter. Iruka's intentions, whether or not he could get a date if he tried. It was just another of those things that he'd pushed away and would continue to do so. "So after this we'd just... go to a movie or dinner? If it were real, I mean." He could go down first, he supposed.

"No, what I meant is if you couldn't think of someplace like this to take somebody you could just go to a movie." Iruka shifted a little uncomfortably, he'd basically flat out told Kakashi he wished it was a real date and been politely ignored. It was what he deserved along with a nice smack upside the back of his head from his best friend which he'd more than likely get too. "After the sunset or the movie or whatever it kind of depends... if we'd eaten before or if I'd brought the food with us then... uhm well if it was a movie you'd take them home or if it's someplace like here where you're secluded then well..." Iruka rubbed the back of his neck, uncomfortable with having to actually say it. "...you'd probably make out and see where things went from there." It came out in one breath and he was just glad he managed to say it at all.

Well Kakashi supposed it was a good thing he'd asked. "And here I was worried about having to ask if a kiss was okay or not on a first date, since I couldn't find a straight answer." It felt awkward to say, now. Making sure Pakkun was in the bag, he tipped his head toward the place they'd climbed up. "Should we?"

"Yeah we should." Iruka dropped down beside where they'd climbed up, shifted then turned and climbed down. "And well the reason you couldn't find a straight answer is because some people have their own little rules about it." It was easier to talk when he was standing in the dim light and could barely see Kakashi up where he was. "They'll tell you. Usually when you try to kiss them they'll pull away and don't worry if they do, it's not a no so much as a not yet at least most of the time. Guys tend to be yes no matter how bad the date sucked and girls well they have their own weird criteria but like I said they'll let you know they might even tell you flat out."

Kakashi supposed it saved them a moment of awkwardness. As soon as Iruka was down Kakashi followed, getting to the bottom and letting Pakkun out before anything else. Then he got his shirt, replaced it where it had been already and put on his shoes before handing the backpack back to Iruka. "Dating seems unnecessarily complicated." Even this date, a trial one was.

Sitting down on one of he rocks, Iruka pulled his shoes on then grabbed one of the bottles of water and opened it. "I always thought they were kind of fun but explaining them... I guess I can see your point." He stood up and offered the other bottle to Kakashi.

Waving it off, Kakashi wasn't sweating enough to need any water. "What about dinner, are there rules for that, too?"

Iruka tossed the bottle in his bag and headed off in the direction of the path again, knowing if they followed it, it'd lead them out right beside the restaurant. "You do realize I didn't intend to tell you all of this right? It really was supposed to be basically a date not all these stupid details." That was his own fault or opening his mouth about why it wasn't sunset because it should have been and even somebody who'd never been on a date could tell that was off. "There are about a million stupid rules for dinner but they are rather stupid and overly complicated. Frankly if whoever you date gets obsessed with the rules then in my opinion you should get up and leave. Anytime somebody gets obsessed with whether it's okay if they do something they'd do under other circumstances they're going to be more work than it's worth." He knew he sounded a little grumpy but he couldn't really help it. "The minute a date stops being fun is the minute you would have been better off picking up somebody in a bar."

Kakashi knit his brow, hearing the tone of Iruka's voice as well as noting the way he was holding himself. "Sorry... that's what I'm doing, isn't it?" He knew it was, asking every single question under the sun. It was just... hard to try to go with the flow now tha he knew the entire thing was just a teaching tool and he didn't have to worry about what Iruka thought. He knew he should, if even for the learning experience of it, but it was still hard and he was still shaken.

"No, it's not... that's not what I meant." Iruka stopped and turned around to look at Kakashi, despite the fact that he was trying to avoid doing so. "It's not your fault. I asked you out under basically false pretenses which I didn't even bother to make clear, because if I had you would have said no. Then to make matters worse I got obsessed with the fact that it wasn't 'really' a date and trying to make it so it wouldn't really count. If I hadn't done that it would have been later and it wouldn't have been so glaringly obvious that I fucked up. Then maybe I wouldn't have felt the need to open my stupid mouth and screw everything else up!" How Kakashi got the idea it was his fault was beyond him though he was sure it was something else that was completely obvious. "Hence, why you would have been better off going to a bar than on a date with me!"

It was just going downhill faster and faster. "I thought that's what you came here to prove...that dating was better than constant one night stands..." At least when this whole thing had come up in the first place that's what Iruka had said. It was one of the reasons he felt so stupid he didn't get that it wasn't a real date, now that he thought back to it. In all truth, it just made him feel pathetic. "Are you trying to say I should give up? You seemed so intent on bar pickups being one of the worst things you could do."

Iruka frowned and looked away. "No..." He sighed and rubbed at the scar on his nose. "A date with anyone other than me will go just fine, I'm sure. I'm not insecure like you said at least not without good reason... I really am in capable of doing anything right when it comes to relationships. To the point that I've evidently gotten worse the longer I bother trying since now I can't even manage a date that's not even real."

"How is that any worse than not being able to handle a pity date, real or not?" Kakashi sighed and bit his cheek, not having meant to say something that sounded so depressing. "You, you're self sabotaging. Even I can see that. I suffer from a ah..." Rather severe... case of social ineptitude. "You just need to stop and prove yourself wrong."

"This wasn't a 'pity date', I just didn't..." Iruka paused and sighed. "...this might sound like self sabotage but it's true... I didn't have the balls to make it a real date because I knew if it was I'd just screw it up anyway. I guess I thought if it wasn't a 'real' date it wouldn't matter if I screwed it up."

Kakashi shook his head, made sure they kept moving even though he wasn't exactly sure where they were going. "It doesn't matter. It's exactly like you said. If you screw this up there's no harm done." They'd been having a good enough time until the perceptions all changed. If he'd walked in and he knew it were fake it wouldn't have gotten to him the way it was.

No harm done except that it did matter because after this he doubted there was anyway Kakashi would even consider going on a real date with him. That thought in and of itself made his stomach hurt. He didn't bother to say it since every time he opened his mouth he made the situation worse. Iruka sighed then slid past Kakashi to grab the door, this part actually having been cut into the side of the hill back when the place had been used for emergency shelter. "The restaurant is just over there." He waved his hand in the right direction not entirely interested in food anymore but trying to keep it from showing too much. He didn't have the delusion that it would make up for anything, not when taking Kakashi to his favorite place had only made things worse, but once they got through dinner all that would be left would be to go home. At least then Kakashi would be free of his idiocy and he could try and go back to his state of denial.

"You don't seem like you want to go..." Kakashi pointed out. "If you don't want to, we don't have to." Even if it was the most universal part of the 'date', if Iruka were that upset and uncomfortable it just wasn't worth it.

He was torn between wanting it over and not wanting it to end with them completely uncomfortable with each other. Iruka swallowed, half tempted to take the out being offered. "I'm fine, let's go have dinner." He took Kakashi's hand mostly so he pull him in the right direction but it still had a nice calming effect probably because up until he'd opened up his mouth and screwed it up that was how he'd led him around.

Pakkun was having a bit of trouble keeping up but Kakashi barely noticed. The pug was resilient, it wasn't a huge deal. "So I take it I shouldn't ask any more questions?"

"No, you can if you want to." Iruka rubbed his thumb across the back of Kakashi's hand trying to maintain the calmness. "I'll try to answer them, just keep in mind who you're asking." Asking somebody who couldn't manage a 'fake' one about the rules of a real date might not be Kakashi's best bet as far as Iruka was concerned.

"I'm... still going to try not to. I think I ruined the premise when I started learning from words instead of actions." Though a fake date in this regard probably wouldn't tell him much he could use practically on a date without being a robot about it. "I'm a bad student."

Iruka chuckled and shook his head. "The student is only as good as the teacher..." It's what he told the kids who said they were just too stupid to learn a move or that they'd never understand a part of the philosophy.

"Not always true. Especially not when they're a twenty six year old rookie with a hard head and social disability." Things like martial arts and detective work came naturally to Kakashi. Even electronic repair and mechanic work were things he could learn without being a social creature. Dating was far more intimate than martial arts and more complicated than any electronic tinkering. The closest thing he'd ever had to having a friend or family member in the last ten years was Pakkun, and he wasn't exactly going to make Kakashi a social butterfly.

"You're not that unusual, Ibiki was your age when I rescued him from the academy soda machine and made him go out with me and he hadn't been on a date in years." Iruka was fairly sure that there were a good number of people who for whatever reason simply didn't date that much. "Half the reason I've dated as much as I have is because I was Mizuki's 'wingman' and got stuck with the ugly friend, the younger sister, or well just the third wheel in general."

"Most people date when they're young." Most people Kakashi knew started in their early teens, some even earlier... though he wasn't sure if those counted or not. "I know it normally slows down when you leave high school... sometimes even stops for a while, but I don't think it's normal not to start at all. Nor have I had... friends that made me a wingman. Everyone at the office knows better than to ask me to handle a third wheel, and I'm not compatible with people in the way that makes me vulnerable to blind dates."

Iruka stopped outside the door to the small restaurant. "That is really sad..." He smiled and grabbed the handle. "All those poor third wheels missing out on quite probably the hottest date they'd ever had just because their friend got picked up by an idiot who couldn't tell that they'd be too busy looking at you to care what you said or did." He smirked then pulled the door open.

Kakashi just gave the other man an odd look. "For one, I don't imagine it would be like that. And well, it seems like a lot of unnecessary work. Third wheels, from what I understand are supposed to be there to support their friend if they aren't quite sure about someone they agreed to date, wingmen are the ones that they shove at the ugly person so they can date someone hot...."

"In my experience it tends to be a bit of both. The third wheel tends to be friend who is single and they're usually 'single for a reason' or that's at least usually the assumption Mizuki made for why I needed to come." Iruka usually hadn't minded... at least not a first. "But that wasn't really the point." He pulled Kakashi inside and headed for the counter.

Kakashi only quieted because of the fact they'd reached the counter, figuring it would be fine once they sat down somewhere.

The girl at the counter couldn't have been older than twenty, but she was the bright eyed, all smiles kind of girl that probably got hit on more often than not, even if just for her warm demeanor. It was the kind of girl Kakashi stayed away from because she was a good natured relationship type.  She grinned, tilting her head slightly as the pair approached the counter, eyes bouncing from one to the other easily.  "Are you two here together?"

Iruka stepped closer to Kakashi. "Yes, as a matter of fact we are." It might not be a real date but he didn't particularly want to watch some girl hit on Kakashi despite the fact it would probably be good for him.

"All right, then." The girl nodded. "Do you know what you want to order?"

Kakashi looked over at Iruka giving a 'I don't know what's good' sort of expression.

"Two of the bentos and two drinks." Iruka dropped Kakashi's hand so he could pull out his wallet. "Where would you prefer to sit Kakashi?" The place was almost empty, most people came on the weekends when the tours were. There was one guy reading a newspaper inside by the window, his laptop open and plugged into the wall and that was it other than them, the girl manning the counter, and a few wait staff. He supposed there was a cook in back but it was by and large empty.

"Show me where you would sit..." Iruka surely knew better than he did, and well, Iruka was supposed to be in control here anyway. He was just learning.

Iruka took his card back after she ran it, put it away, and then signed the paper. "Let's get our drinks first then," he said, taking Kakashi's hand again and pulling him towards a counter with cups. The drinks were all the same cost so you could get whatever you wanted. There was a soda fountain, hot and cold tea, coffee, and lemonade. Dropping Kakashi's hand again he got himself some ice tea. "I'd avoid the coffee though... it tends to sit there all day during the week."

With a nod Kakashi had also decided on tea. He did like his coffee, but that did seem a typical thing for restaurants during the day... or late night. With the exception of the station where coffee never lasted long and the occasional cafe where the waitresses brewed a new pot when he came through.

One glance back to the counter showed the girl at the register whispering to one of the waitresses, still watching them. He frowned beneath the mask. Good or bad staring, whichever it was, he had to make sure not to watch too much, considering he was on a 'date'. "Do you get this a lot?" He asked, referring to the girls.

Iruka eyed them surreptitiously from the corner of his eye. "Sometimes... usually when I'm with a guy." So far it hadn't been anything to worry about though. "Come on, they'll bring us our food." He grabbed the door that led out to the deck and held it for Kakashi.

"It didn't look like a bad stare." There was a little too much smiling for Kakashi to think that.

"Of course it wasn't." Iruka rolled his eyes, looking around for the best place to sit. "They were probably staring at your ass." He strode towards a table near the railing, pushing it back against the railing and making it impossible for them to sit opposite each other. Dragging the bench a little closer he sat down, propping his feet up on the trapped bench. His reasoning was simple, it gave Kakashi some privacy about the mask since neither of the girls would  be able to see him and he wouldn't be looking directly at him, and because he wanted to sit next to him not across from him.

"Staring at my ass? How do you know they weren't staring at yours?" Or something else for that matter. Kakashi glanced over at Iruka as they sat down.