Chapter 1
The Department of Anthropology at Konoha University was located in one of the oldest parts of campus. It was fondly, but perhaps unkindly, referred to as the Catacombs. It was rumoured to be haunted by the ghosts of postgraduate students looking for caffeine, and a particularly amorous spirit that possessed the Sceptre of Fertility found on one of the department's first digs.
There was a certain amount of truth behind the nickname. Multiple subterranean floors were serviced by the faculty's rinky dink elevator. A labyrinth of corridors that branched off into rooms upon rooms of archival boxes of who knows what.
Umino Iruka, an over-worked and sleep-deprived postgraduate student, still got lost down there on the way to the staff room. Thankfully, today was not one of those days.
Iruka yawned into his fist as he poured out the last of the coffee sludge into his mug. It had congealed into a consistency that Iruka would normally baulk at, but he could probably dilute it and the need to get through a bulk of his literature review outweighed any vote his tastebuds have on the matter. It was free after all and, as a poor postgraduate student, he couldn't afford to be picky about where his caffeine came from.
A gentle voice broke into his reverie. "Good morning, Iruka. Oh.... uh.... Are you alright?"
Iruka blinked blearily, turning towards the sound. "Oh. um," Iruka fidgeted, clinging onto his chipped mug for dear life. "Hi." His cheeks instantly filled at being caught gazing into space and winced internally at sounding more gremlin than human. ‘I am a grown man capable of social interaction,’ Iruka berated himself.
Mizuki was one of Professor Sarutobi's best postgraduate students and always looked so well put together in his crisp white shirts and ironed slacks. It was at direct odds with Iruka's fraying hoodie and grubby jeans. The only unsolved mystery in the Catacombs was how someone like Mizuki ended up in this department at all, in Iruka's humble opinion.
"Did you need a hand with the coffee machine? It was out of beans earlier, but I restocked the grinder yesterday using beans from Mamegakure. And I know the machine can be a bit temperamental."
Iruka blinked at Mizuki, his brain making a soft deflating noise.
Mizuki cocked his head and gave a pointed look at the coffee machine hidden behind Iruka's body.
"Oh!" Mizuki probably wanted a cup himself and Iruka was just standing there like a lump, slack jawed and blocking the way. "I am sorry, here let me just squeeze past you..." Iruka shuffled out of the way, clearing his throat and watching on in envy as Mizuki readjusted the controls and temperature gauges and expertly made his cup.
"Are you sure you're alright?"
"That's very kind of you but I'm fine. All caffeinated up here. Yup. Thanks."
Feeling the window of socially acceptable departing close, Iruka floundered. Filling out his supervisor's multiple funding grants could wait just a little bit longer. It was so rare that he managed to catch Mizuki alone; Iruka was endlessly fascinated and envious by how smoothly Mizuki's own research was going.
"How're the preparations for the dig going?" Iruka applauded himself for sounding so casual.
"They're going swimmingly. I'll be heading out in a few days." Mizuki looked apologetic as if he wanted to say more. "I should head back to my office now that I have my coffee. I'll catch you around." He waved and paused at the door. "Oh, one more thing, the Head wants to see you."
Iruka's jaw fell. "Me?" He wasn't even sure anyone outside of his supervisor knew he existed. Why would the Head want to speak with him?
Mizuki laughed as if Iruka had told a hilarious joke. "Yeah, you, silly. So you better run along."
"You could have led with that!" Iruka ran a hand through his ponytail and blanched at the knots. He'd have to make a quick detour to his desk and trade out his hoodie for his emergency jacket in his locker.
"Ahh, but you looked so cute." Mizuki chuckled. "I couldn't help spend a bit more time with you."
The head of the archaeology and anthropology department is a grizzled old man. Behind thick glasses, a bald head and a fantastic beard, was a man who had overseen the education of generations of archaeologists. He was a man revered throughout the worldwide archaeology community, sitting upon several review boards and was regarded as a bit of an eccentric and terrible with names.
Iruka isn’t sure what to expect when he pokes his head through the door after knocking. "Hello, Professor."
"Excellent timing, Ikura-kun. Come in.” The professor closes his manila folder and adds it to the top of another unstable pile that Iruka eyes warily. “Close the door behind you and have a seat. You can move whatever is there onto the floor.”
“Of course, Professor.” Iruka carefully moved the folders and sat down. “You asked for me?”
“Ah, yes yes. That Mizumi-kun must have found you. Delightfully resourceful that young man is,” Sarutobi murmured underneath his breath. There was an aura of genial but forgetful old man about the professor that Iruka liked despite how often forgot the names of students and faculty members alike.
A piece of paper was pulled out of a stack by Sarutobi’s elbow like a skilled magician would a tablecloth. Iruka accepted it, quickly scanning through the document. “As you are aware, the department has been organising a very important excursion for some time after the discovery of the First's Tomb. You have been a wonderful help with processing the paperwork, after all.”
Iruka nodded obediently, spine straightening and poorly concealed the eagerness in his voice. “Thank you, Professor.”
Sarutobi's chair creaked when he leaned backwards. “We need a few extra bodies to help out with all the equipment that Mizumi-kun has requested. How do you feel about joining the dig? You could gain invaluable experience and we could use an extra pair of eyes with his assistant also."
He couldn't believe it. Iruka's stomach swooped with excitement. Was this really happening? He pinched his thigh underneath the table, once on each side just to be sure. A dig! To the First’s Tomb, a place that had been rumoured to be lost to time for millenia? It was the opportunity of a lifetime. Iruka would be daft if he turned it down. “I'd be honoured to, sir!”
“Excellent.” Sarutobi nodded, a corner of his mouth twitched upwards. “You leave on a Friday with Mizumi-kun and Otoro-kun.”
"Thank you for considering me!" Iruka stood up and bowed. “I won’t let you down.”
On the morning of his departure, Iruka was still floating on cloud nine at all the possibilities. The week seemed to have blitzed past. Not even the chaotic mess of his shoebox apartment could put a damper on the fact that he was set on an adventure of a lifetime. The potential of whatever they would find in that tomb sang loudly in his veins, adding to the adrenaline as he pushed his way through to Konoha Central Station.
Iruka ran through the concourse, cursing. What platform had it been again? He readjusted the strap of his rucksack and stared up at the train announcement board until he spotted a familiar mop of grey hair purely by chance. "Mizuki!" He hadn’t been sure who the person Sarutobi referred to as Otoro was, but as he got closer, Iruka found his smile growing.
Someone was shouting his name excitably. “Eh?! Iruka-sensei!” There was a young blond man running and waving wildly at him. It would have been difficult to miss Naruto. “Do you remember me?”
"I'm not your sensei anymore," Iruka laughed. “Of course, Naruto! How have you been?” 'Otoro' had grown up in the years since Iruka had the pleasure of speaking to the local high school students at the University's open day, but there was no denying the spiky blond hair and sky blue eyes that accompanied the purest of smiles.
“I’m studying archaeology now!” Naruto beamed, rocking on his heels back and forth in happiness, face flushed with happiness.
"Yes, I can see that!"
“Old man Sarutobi thought it would be a great idea to go on this dig thing." Naruto dragged Iruka the last few steps to where Mizuki was waiting. "He thought I could inspire my classmates or whatever, but I'm so glad I don't have to suffer in silence with--”
"Iruka." Mizuki patted Naruto’s shoulder, a smile on his face as he interrupted. “Naruto-kun here is also my research assistant.”
“Only on weekends!” Naruto interjected, scowling and rolling his eyes. He shrugged off Mizuki's hand. “And it’s not like you get me to do any exciting stuff. Or pay me!”
“You’re being paid in experience. Some people would give anything to be in your position," Mizuki replied haughtily. "Reading is fundamental to any avenue of study. You’ll thank me later for it.” His face softened when he turned to Iruka. “I’m glad you could make it, Iruka. Let’s go. I'll lead the way.”
Naruto poked his tongue out at Mizuki’s back and kicked at the ground with a muttered “Stupid Mizuki.”
“Sometimes, he is,” Iruka agreed, and then tried cajoling Naruto, “He’s not going to stop us from having the adventure of a lifetime, right? And we’re going to have a great one.”
With a grin, Naruto nodded enthusiastically. “You’re right, Iruka-sensei.”
“That’s the spirit!” And with that, they each took control of the last trolleys and hurried after Mizuki, weaving around the other commuters as best as they could.
The train awaiting them was a coal-powered dark beast, manned by people in navy uniforms with trims of bronze, pushing around luggage and directing confused passengers to their carriages. The top was stained dark with soot from years of service; Iruka hoped the engine would last them until the end of the line.
By the time Naruto, Iruka and the porters had moved everything into the cramped compartment the university had paid for, there wasn’t any space for them to sit. Mizuki looked apologetic from his window seat, curled up as he was with a thick journal. “You understand that I can’t leave this all unattended. Millions of ryo worth of equipment and all that. Who knows what kind of brogue types would steal it all.”
Naruto growled under his breath, vibrating with barely contained ire. "It's a six hour train ride. Where are we going to sit?"
Iruka placed a hand on Naruto’s upper arm to calm him as an idea formed. “That's not a problem. We’ll see you at the other side.”
“He always does this!” Naruto burst out when they had moved out of earshot, swaying to regain his balance as the train pulled away from the station. “But I really need the extra credit to stay in this degree. I thought it'd be easy just digging stuff up. No one told me I had to remember anything. I don't wanna stand for six hours.”
Iruka stifled a laugh as they passed through another carriage with no luck of finding a spare seat. “We'll go to the dining car and I’ll buy you whatever you like. Why don't you tell me everything that's happened.”
Naruto’s eyes sparkled. “Really? Thanks Iruka-sensei! You know, you’re the reason I decided to get into archaeology in the first place.”
"Is that right?" There was something like pride that tickled Iruka's rib cages.
Time flew by like the trees in the horizon. Iruka and Naruto left their large rucksacks in one of the luggage racks before entering the dining car. It was thankfully quiet with white tableclothed booths lining both sides. They slid into one of the tables at the end and made themselves comfortable, ordering tea and an ice cream float.
Listening to Naruto's enthusiasm was charming. He was so easy to talk to, and had been well-liked at school. Iruka received a comprehensive compendium of where Naruto's schoolmates were currently studying.
“I really wish I was working for you instead,” Naruto said glumly, poking the bottom of his empty glass with a spoon. “You’d make all this boring reading fun somehow.”
Iruka felt his heart ache a little. “When we come back, I’ll have a talk to the professors and see if you can become my assistant for that extra credit. How about that?”
“You’d do that for me?” Naruto asked, eyes wide with wonder. “That would be amazing. Iruka-sensei truly is the best!”
There it was. That was the type of passion Iruka wanted to see. “Of course, Naruto. Someday, Mizuki and I will graduate and then you'll be the one taking a train out to a dig with your peers.” Iruka smiled, rubbing at the edge of the scar that ran across his face from a childhood accident. "I'd like knowing that you'll enjoy the ride."
“I hope you never graduate,” Naruto blurted out and then blanched when Iruka’s face fell. “Wait. Not like that… I mean…”
“The archaeology department will need people like you, Naruto, to carry on our passion for generations to come. They will get to hear about your stories of being able to see the world and really experience the broad swathes of life: both old and new, and all their different customs and cultures.”
Iruka tried not to break into hysterics about the implications of not graduating, or never finding employment outside of a university setting. And it was going to be experience in the field that would make him stand out. Being an adult, a proper one that paid taxes and wasn't constantly behind on laundry, was so daunting. “Some day, you might be the one teaching high school kids over summer break, inspiring them to study at Konoha Uni, and then you’ll be sitting across from them having this same talk.”
Naruto pulled a comical face. "Ew, no thanks."
He said it with such conviction that Iruka had to laugh.
Iruka had never been so glad to step off a train, working out the uncomfortable crick in his neck briefly before joining the porters with the university equipment. The heat of the sun sapped away the chill from the train's air-conditioning.
There was a light-haired man waiting for them at the station. He stood in the shade of the station, white shirt tucked behind braces with shoulder holsters. His posture was deceptively casual, hands tucked into khaki pant pockets. He looked positively dangerous, military probably, when compared to the likes of Iruka or Mizuki.
Iruka raised a hand and squinted, surprised by the eyepatch that covered a wicked looking scar. This close, Iruka guessed that they were roughly the same height. Subtly, Iruka's eyes trailed over broad shoulders and the trim waist and then settled on scarred muscular forearms.
Damn. Everything about this man screamed mystery and Iruka would like nothing more than to study him in detail like a lost artefact.
Dredging some semblance of the manners his mother had taught him, Iruka wet his lips. "HI. I'm Iruka." He stuck a hand out.
The man rudely ignored the handshake. “Are you from the uni?” His voice was rough, like he smoked a pack a day. Iruka resolutely tried not to think about how dry his own mouth was all of a sudden.
“We are,” Mizuki said haughtily, striding up. “Are you our ride to the First’s site?”
The man regarded Mizuki lazily, his singular gaze taking in the measure of Mizuki in seconds. “Might be.”
“Good. Load this all up into your vehicle and take us there.”
He casually slipped his hands into his pockets, a deceptive air of casualness about him. “And if I don’t?”
“Then I’ll make sure you don’t get paid.” Mizuki bared his teeth and then wandered away to sit in the shade.
"Not much of a team player, that one."
Iruka stepped in before blood could be shed. "My apologies about Mizuki…. He's under a lot of pressure at the moment."
"You shouldn't apologise for that bastard," Naruto muttered darkly, wincing when Iruka nudged him in the side. He rubbed at the sore spot with a pout.
"Look…" A shiver curled down Iruka's spine when the man's gaze — dangerous and deceptively lazy — flickered back towards him. Iruka swallowed around the lump in his throat, pasting on a nervous smile. "My full name is Umino Iruka, and this is Uzumaki Naruto. We're both assisting Mizuki on this dig. I can't spend this entire trip calling you 'You' now, can I? That would be terribly rude. Then somehow my mother will find out, and I don't wanna know what she and my aunt would do to me when they find out. Eviscerate me on the spot probably. So?"
The corner of his pale lips twitched. "...Kakashi." The man admitted, looking like it pained him to introduce himself. "I'd hate to be the reason that you cease to exist."
Naruto looked at Kakashi suspiciously.
"Well!" Iruka grinned, trying not to seem too smug about getting a name (now if only it came also with a number….). "It's a pleasure to meet you, Kakashi. Can you show us the way to your vehicle, please? The sooner we can get to the site, the sooner we can get out of your hair. I get the distinct feeling that you drew the short straw to come pick us up."
Kakashi regarded them both solemnly and then nodded. "This way. Get comfortable. We should get there by sundown."
The trek was through uncharted territory, deep into the heart of a rainforest. The dirt track wore into the landscape. While the station had been more of a dry heat, the humidity had swung in the opposite direction. Iruka blanched at the stickiness, looking at the air vents longingly where it rattled ominously and gave a feeble attempt to cool Iruka off.
Mizuki complained the entire bumpy ride where he sat in the back with Naruto, cursing a streak when he cracked his head against the side of Kakashi's rickety four wheel drive. The cartons shifted ominously, thumping against the side of the vehicle, even though Naruto had arranged them as snugly as possible and Kakashi had helped secure them down with cords and netting.
Iruka propped his head up and looked at Kakashi in his peripheral vision. There was something captivating about him. Something that just kept drawing Iruka’s attention.
"Yes? What is it?"
"Nothing." Iruka trained his eyes back on the road studiously. Futilely. Kakashi was attractive.
"You're staring."
Iruka couldn’t help it that he had eyes. "Is that a crime?"
Kakashi didn't respond for a long moment, his leather fingerless gloves squeaking against the steering wheel. "No, I suppose not."
"Does it make you uncomfortable when I do?" Iruka asked curiously, turning to look at Kakashi's profile.
"...No."
"Oh. Sorry. I won't do it again." Iruka bit his lip and looked away, wedging his head against the side of the car and the headrest. He shut his traitorous eyes for good measure. Even if window shopping was free, he didn't want—
There was a light touch to the back of Iruka's hand where it sat upon his knee.
Iruka's eyes sprung open in surprise.
"I didn't say I disliked it," Kakashi said quietly, withdrawing his hand.
Iruka's face warmed, and it had nothing to do with the rising temperatures outside.
By the time base camp came into view, the last light was disappearing quickly as the sun set in the valley between two ridges. Giant canvas tents were arranged chaotically around large roots; Iruka’s last on-site experience had been a short sojourn to Suna but that had been arranged neatly in rows and columns with army-like precision.
Iruka felt a little green around the gills having been shaken around like a dog’s chew toy. There had been one too many river crossings; one too many close shaves as Kakashi drove his car dangerously close to a cliff’s edge (one-eyed man with an eyepatch with excellent depth perception was nearly unheard of!); one too many everything. And while Kakashi proved to be extremely competent, off-road adventuring was an acquired taste.
With wobbly legs, Naruto fell out of the back. “I thought we were gonna die.”
Mizuki tumbled out, steadying himself with Iruka’s arm. “That was insane. You’re insane.”
“Better get used to it,” Kakashi said as he hopped out looking as fresh as a daisy. “You have the return journey to look forward to.” He seemed to derive enjoyment out of the chorus of groans.
“Oh! I see Professor Orochimaru up ahead,” Mizuki said. “Since you’re the hired muscle, so, you know…” He flicked his hand dismissively. "...muscle." He grabbed his bag and left.
Thankfully, their arrival had gathered quite a crowd, attracting the attention of plenty of willing hands and curious eyes. They exchanged fond greetings with Kakashi, introducing themselves to Iruka in a flurry of names. Supplies and their equipment were quickly unloaded and ferried off to one of the larger tents in the area.
Kakashi handed over Iruka and Narutos’ bags from the back and beckoned them to follow. “Come on, let’s get you both situated.”
The impromptu tour led them on a winding bath throughout the camp, past the delicious smells from the impromptu stoves and into a quieter section of the camp on the outskirts in the eastern wing: Mizuki and his luggage were in one; Naruto and Iruka would share the other. That suited Iruka just fine, throwing his rucksack onto the low cot.
“Where’s your tent?” Naruto asked curiously.
Kakashi cocked his head and then pointed. “Just on the other side. Sign yourself up for dinner duty. It’s usually around six but there’s no set time.” He gave them a wry smile. “I’ll leave you to settle in.”
“See you at dinner then?” Iruka asked.
Kakashi shook his head. “I’ll be on shift, but perhaps next time. You know, when I’m not doing ‘muscle’ things.” And with a nod, he left.
“What a strange guy,” Naruto mused as he bounced on the other cot, punching the pillow to test its comfort level. “C’mon Iruka-sensei. I’m getting hungry.”
There was one thing to say about the youth and their tenacity.
Tomorrow was going to be a huge day.
Iruka woke up disoriented in the liminal moment between sleep and consciousness. His heart raced until his brain finally caught up and reminded him of where he was. The sun was just peering through a crack in their tent and Iruka pushed himself upright, glaring at a spot in the tent until his body woke up. Naruto snored away, undisturbed by Iruka’s shuffling around.
There was something peaceful about camping and waking up with nature, birdsong and an inextricable earthiness on the wind. Iruka quietly tied his hair up and pulled his boots on, leaving behind a scribbled note for Naruto to find him for breakfast.
There weren’t many people waiting in line and Iruka gratefully accepted his portion from the volunteer behind the counter. He was munching slowly through a bowl of rice, mulling over the day's activities, of getting all the electricity connected to each machine, when someone greeted him.
"Hello Iruka. Is this seat taken?"
Iruka lifted his head. There was Kakashi's tired face, no doubt having finished a shift to make sure they were all safe from the night's creatures.
"Good morning, Kakashi. Not at all. Please."
Kakashi eased himself down with a cup of coffee in hand. He seemed determined to drown himself in the brown liquid, a sentiment that Iruka could often relate to.
"Long night?"
"Yes, but mostly uneventful." Kakashi stifled a yawn into his cup. "Did you manage to sleep?"
"You'll find that once I'm asleep, I can sleep through anything." Iruka grinned. "Which thankfully comes in handy when sharing a tent with someone. Luckily, Naruto also seems to be cut from the same cloth."
"Oh?"
"He was still asleep when I snuck out this morning, which somehow makes me sound like I’m the teenager sneaking out at night." Iruka scratched the edge of his scar in embarrassment.
Kakashi rumbled a laugh deep in his throat, clearly amused.
“But enough about me blathering about myself, what about you?”
Something shuttered in Kakashi’s expression that Iruka couldn’t put a finger on before it was smoothed away. “I sleep when I can.”
“Huh… Do you usually take such long shifts? Is it just you here?”
“No, there are a few of us on the team and we rotate shifts. But I generally keep to myself and there isn’t usually much trouble.” Kakashi shrugged.
Kakashi was an excellent listener, and Iruka was happy to oblige when Kakashi asked about his area of study. The conversation flowed easily between them, and Iruka hoped their friendship would deepen over time. Kakashi was an enigma, a mystery that was going to prove difficult to unravel; Iruka loved challenging mysteries.
By the time Naruto announced his arrival with the biggest yawn, Kakashi had left.
They spent the day helping set up all the equipment under the watchful eye of Professor Orochimaru who filled them in on the progress at hand as Naruto and Iruka ran wires and set up the new generator. From the sound of it, the team on the ground had found one of the corners of the tomb. Mizuki was already out there directing the efforts.
"We can't say just can't say for certain how far the tomb could stretch. The entrance will require further excavation and we'll survey how stable everything is." Professor Orochimaru smiled beatifically, looking oddly out of place in a tailored suit. "Just have to keep looking and digging, boys."
Iruka swiped his forearm over his forehead and had a sinking suspicion he would be heading a lot of that phrase over the next few days.
Dinner could not come soon enough. Iruka was starting to feel muscle groups he hadn't used in a long time, all of them were screaming at him in unison. He collapsed into a seat, burrowing his face into his forearms. He had spent more time squatting today than he had in his entire gym membership (which was admittedly very short and also very free trial). Iruka was getting old and feeling every year over twenty. In a year, he was going to be thirty.
Somebody tapped him on the shoulder and Iruka flailed a hand out with a groan.
"Noooo Naruto. I'm too old and achey to go exploring now. I know I promised you earlier, but maybe tomorrow.."
A voice that was decidedly not Naruto's, asked, "Wow. What happened to him?"
"Stuff happened," Naruto replied vaguely, more interested in the food set in front of him.
"Mizuki!" Iruka sprung upright, then winced as his entire body protested. "Owww…"
Mizuki looked sympathetic. "Sorry that you had to be stuck setting everything up for me. I got caught up with seeing the tomb and talking to everyone."
Iruka shook his head. "That's alright! I understand since this is your work, and I'll always support you when I can. Why don't you join us and tell us everything?" He knew it was early days yet before they would find anything, but even so, Iruka wanted to hear it from Mizuki.
Mizuki sighed, looking appropriately apologetic with his onigiri in hand. "I wish I could but I just came to grab a quick bite and check in on you both. I'm heading back to the site. There are some samples I wanted to run through diagnostics. You understand. Another time?"
Iruka was crestfallen but tried to hide it behind a smile. "Yes, of course." Mizuki squeezed his shoulder and then walked away.
"I guess you're feeling better to go exploring now?" Naruto asked cheekily, already finishing his meal like the bottomless abyss that his stomach was.
"I hope we find the showers," Iruka grumbled good-naturedly and then stood up to return his tray of dishes.
"Hey!" Naruto protested, following Iruka's example, "I don't stink!"
"I didn't say you did! But now that you mention it…"
"Irukaaaa…" Naruto whined, trailing after Iruka like a cute puppy.
Later that night, after they had discovered the washing facilities - basic as they were - Iruka was asleep on his cot before his head could touch his pillow.
The next day, Kakashi was already at breakfast when Iruka dragged himself in to join the queue. He had his head propped up with one hand, reading something with an orange cover and looked utterly absorbed in the book. There was something captivating about the scene, but his tired mind couldn't come up with the appropriate analogy or prolific purple prose to describe Kakashi's beauty.
Beauty?
Iruka blushed as he picked up his tray, trying his best not to stare like a besotted fool. Well. Yes. He didn't need to beat around the bush with himself about that point.
But he hardly knew the man. For all Iruka knew, Kakashi couldn't get employment elsewhere. He seemed far too competent to be schlepping about as a bodyguard for some scholars playing in the jungle. Maybe Kakashi was secretly some sort of spy acting as a mercenary, sent by a higher power to make sure nothing happened or nefarious could be discovered. Although, that hardly seemed logical and was mostly Iruka's over-active imagination.
Whatever Kakashi's reasons, Iruka wasn't going to complain.
He certainly couldn't fault his body for walking itself over to Kakashi. "Hello Kakashi. May I join you?"
Kakashi lifted his eye, sliding a finger to mark his place between the pages. "Iruka, what a pleasant surprise. I suppose you may. My table is the best, after all. All the cool kids want to sit here."
Iruka raised an eyebrow. "Is that right?"
"Yes."
Kakashi, Iruka decided as he sat down opposite Kakashi, was a little shit and it shouldn't be allowed. He also oughtn't be so endeared by it all.
"Did you have a good day?" Kakashi asked, returning to his book.
"As good a day as any one can." Iruka squinted at the cover. This close he could make out the adults inku warning and— Iruka blushed. He could recognise that dust jacket anywhere. "Why are you reading that?"
"Because no one has unearthed the Book of the Dead yet," Kakashi responded drily. "And life is too short for it to not be spicy somehow." His eye flickered upwards. "Do you like spicy, sensei?"
Iruka twitched, recognising that faux-innocence for what it was. "Guess you'll never find out."
"That's beginning to sound like a challenge." Who knew Kakashi could be mischievous underneath his stoic facade? Iruka's mental dossier on Kakashi was being constantly amended with every little detail. "I wonder how much of my spice you could handle…"
Iruka rolled his eyes, hiding his smile into his bowl of rice. "Keep on wondering, hotshot."
Whenever their schedules aligned, Iruka often sought out Kakashi's company during breakfast. Once, Kakashi had volunteered to bring them lunch from the camp's chef and Iruka had talked animatedly at length about the process of excavation, the multiple fragments they had found and realised an hour in that surely Kakashi would find it boring the differences in brushes and sieves used.
"Not at all," Kakashi reassured him, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips. "You're very enthusiastic about your work which is refreshing, and I like listening."
"Oh. Well." Iruka's face warmed. It was definitely the weather and not because of the bemused expression on Kakashi's face. "Please stop me whenever, you know, if you have other things to do and you're too polite to interject if you have other places to be."
Kakashi leaned back on his hands, lifting his face to enjoy the sunbeam filtering through the canopy, and murmured, "Nowhere else I'd rather be."
Whatever was happening between them was starting to become a habit. Iruka found himself enjoying their witty friendly banter — it certainly couldn't be flirting! — and on one occasion had discovered how stubborn Kakashi was about certain topics (the Icha Icha series was not a literary masterpiece). Naruto joined them occasionally when he was awake early enough and Mizuki wasn't getting him to run analysis on dirt samples or write up reports.
“That’s boring stuff!” Naruto whined before bed.
Iruka was amused. “That’s what you said when you were sieving yesterday. Sorry to inform you that archaeology isn’t fast-paced.” He laughed when Naruto light-heartedly threw his sleeping cap in Iruka’s direction.
As the days merged into weeks, Mizuki's temper frayed. He grew snappish over the slow progress, dedicated in a way that might impress the Professor, but worried Iruka. Mizuki was burning the candle at high ends. People at camp were starting to complain about how high strung Mizuki had become in hushed whispers.
“I’m not his secretary,” Naruto whined, pouting into his bowl of soup over dinner. “Why can’t he write his own reports and stop studying that stupid tome of his. As if reincarnation is real, y’know?”
Now that was new. “What tome is this?” Iruka asked with a frown. “Can you describe it for me?”
“I don’t know.” Naruto shrugged, pulling a face and then screwing his eyes shut. “It was something that they found a few days ago. It had a weird cover on it, kind of like some sort of eye? I thought it was pretty weird. Like what weirdo would put an eye on a book. And it was covered in this dark red cloth when they found it. He and Professor Orochimaru were discussing it before I left for dinner.”
Iruka mulled over this information. “How interesting.” Perhaps it was nothing. Perhaps it was everything. There was just something his gut was telling him that they should be cautious. He just couldn’t quite put his finger on what.
Iruka couldn’t sleep a wink that night. Grabbing his notes and a jacket, Iruka snuck out of the tent to find the nearest table and light that he could sprawl out. At the late hour, no one would be in one of the larger research tents. There was bound to be reference material stored away that could help him put the puzzle together.
The jungle was teeming with the sounds of the night, a symphony that reminded him of the ecosystem all around them. Every cold breath flowed through him.
There was a niggling sensation that he had missed something. What was it about that tome that had captured Mizuki’s attention? This had to be some sort of gigantic clue staring him in the face. If only Iruka knew exactly what he was looking for.
The First was born during a time of conflict. He had been the one that was responsible for the founding of Konoha in the early days, way before things like electricity or modern medicine could have been discovered. He had been the First because he had been the first to broker peace and brought an end to what Iruka always thought as senseless violence.
“A tome,” Iruka muttered under his breath, leafing through his notebook. What could be so important? He was deep within his third volume when Kakashi found him.
“I was wondering why there was a light on in here.” Kakashi stepped in, the tent brushing against his thick jacket with a soft sigh.
“Kakashi…” Iruka was relieved that it hadn’t been Mizuki. “On the graveyard shift tonight?”
“I’m just finishing up.” Kakashi checked the time on his watch. “What are you doing up?”
“I'm… I couldn't sleep.” Iruka looked down at the reference book with a frown. “Naruto mentioned something over dinner and it got me thinking…”
“Thinking. That sounds very dangerous. Aren’t all good boys meant to be getting their beauty rest?”
Iruka snorted and rolled his eyes.
Kakashi quirked a smile and stepped closer, propping a hip against the table. “What did Naruto say that has you up late?”
“He mentioned something about Mizuki finding a tome and being very interested in it,” Iruka recounted and then pointed out the various passages in the books spread out on the table. “But nothing in any of these texts suggest that the Senju had a book with an eye on the cover. All of the iconography used looks more like a pronged weapon or club. See?”
“Yes…” Kakashi hummed, brushing his fingertips down the length of the page. “History wasn’t really my forte in school.”
“You strike me as the type of man who was exceptionally gifted as a child, as you are now,” Iruka said and then yawned. “But perhaps I should give up for the time being.”
“You don't strike me as a man who gives up easily. Rather the opposite in fact.” Kakashi gestured at the books spread out to emphasise his point. “A fresh pair of eyes could be just as illuminating.”
“Maybe I can figure it out come morning…” Iruka yawned again, the day’s activities starting to catch up with him. “Mmm, maybe it’s bed time after all.” He can pick where he left off later.
“That is probably for the best.” Kakashi tucked his hands into his pockets and then dipped his head, bashful. “Can I walk you back to your tent?”
“I can make it on my own…You don’t have to…” Iruka bit his lip, unwilling to monopolise more of Kakashi’s time.
“But I want to and it’d make me feel better to make sure you don’t trip on a surprise tree root and somehow brain yourself,” Kakashi said patiently, already guiding Iruka out with a hand on the small of his back.
“Your faith in me is astonishing.”
“I have many other qualities that are astonishing as well,” Kakashi replied sagely.
“Your lack of modesty for one,” Iruka quipped.
Kakashi grinned. “Do you often think of my immodesty? My, my, that’s very forward of you.”
“I am too tired to come up with a witty comeback…” And then Iruka walked straight into Kakashi’s back when he suddenly stopped. “Hey, wha—? Why’d you stop—”
The ground next to the tent he shared with Naruto was strewn with their things. There was Naruto’s emergency roll of toilet paper, next to one of Iruka’s shirts. Iruka felt his stomach plummet as he raced to pull the flap back of his tent. This was not the shot of adrenaline he needed.
“Kakashi,” Iruka said shakily, turning around with fearful eyes. “Naruto’s not here.”