Third Time Lucky von Khaosprinz ================================================================================ Kapitel 2: ----------- The following weeks were like a blur to Naruto. It had only taken three days (two of them full of embarrassing moments) until he had been able to make Sasuke fulfill his promise. Funnily, no one else seemed to notice the change in their relationship. Whenever someone walked in on them making out in public, they simply shrugged it off as another of their quarrels. It was amazing how oblivious people could be when they didn't care for the details, or otherwise Lee wouldn't have joined them with a screamed "THE POWER OF YOUTH AT IT'S FINEST!" in their 'banter' one day, even though Naruto was shirtless with one of his hands in Sasuke's pants. But they had to give some credit to their poor friends; their quality time usually did look like they were trying to throttle each other... However, they soon noticed things weren't working out. The more time they spent together, the more they fought. And had mad make up sex, but that wasn't the point. After only three and a half weeks, they were driving each other up the wall and nearly going into a mental home voluntarily. And so they decided they weren't a good match. Best friends? Yes. Rivals? You bet on it. Brothers? Best one's at that. Lovers? Only if the world was coming to an end. Or rather if they wanted the world to end...   So they broke up, but since there weren't that many feelings involved, it only took a few days full of awkward silences, misplaced hands, and evil punches until everything turned back to normal. And so, Naruto decided, it was time for him to go hunting. For a guy of course, not some poor animal he wouldn't even be able to cook. But since it was boring to hunt alone, he was now pestering Sasuke to help him find a new victim. "… Why did I agree to this again?", the raven asked, irritated, while using a picture of Naruto as shuriken target practice in his living room. Said blond didn't even care about that as he lay sprawled on the couch, staring at the ceiling. "'Cus you wuv me- OW!" He ripped a shuriken out of his thigh and threw it back at his smug looking friend. "Ooops, sorry." "Yeah, yeah, whatever...", Naruto growled and pulled a bandage out of his pocket to tend to his wound. "Well, just let's get this over with, I have a mission later." Sasuke resumed his target practice. "So, Chōji, Shino, Sai, the spandex-monster, Tsunade-sama's minions, and all those who're definitely straight are out. What about dog-boy?" Naruto contemplated for a moment. "He's hot, but our characters are too similar. We'd probably be at each other's throat in less than a week..." "Gaara or his barbie-brother?" The blond had to laugh before he shook his head. "Kankuro... naaah. And Gaara... well, certainly an idea, but that wouldn't work with him in Suna as Kazekage and me in Konoha as Hokage." "If you say so..." Sasuke caught the pillow that was thrown at him and threw it back. He was slowly getting irritated again. "Shikamaru?"   Naruto put a finger on his chin. That one could actually work... if his lazy friend was gay, that is. But then again, he didn't think Shikamaru could really put up with all his energy. Too 'troublesome'. "Nah. He's too down-to-earth." "Gah, dobe, are you actually trying or are you just bored?!" The blond shot him a hurt look. "No, teme, but I am slowly getting the feeling you're so annoyed because you don't want me to find a boyfriend." "Don't flatter yourself, idiot. But, it'd actually help if you had an idea of what exactly you're searching for." "But I don't know", Naruto whined and pressed a pillow on his face, "I guess... Something between Kiba and Shikamaru. Someone who is able to put up with my energy, without riling me up, but not too calm so I won't get the feeling of being annoying."   Sasuke rubbed his temples. Well, that information was... worthless. Standing up with an irritated sigh, he started gathering his things for the mission. "Oi, Sasuke, you're not planning on-" "Pinocchio?" Naruto stared at his friend. "What?" "The guy with the Mokuton[3]." "Yamato-taichō?! Ewww, no! He's nice, yeah, but that's just wrong." "Kakashi?" "That's equally wr-"   Sasuke turned around when his friend stopped mid-sentence. He hadn't been serious about the last ones... But when he saw the blond sitting there, the smirk on his face slowly but steady growing bigger and bigger, a strange fear settled in his stomach. Naruto suddenly got up, tackled him to the floor, and gave him a bone crushing hug, but before the raven could even open his mouth to say something, the Jinchūriki was gone with a shouted "Thanks, teme, I owe you one!".   What have I done...? To think he actually liked Kakashi... The poor man.                                                                                                                  Naruto on the other hand happily bounced through the village in search of his former sensei. Kakashi seemed like a perfect match for him. He was able to put up with Naruto's endless energy without hurting him for it, he was fun to be around, didn't seem prude -or otherwise he wouldn't read porn in public-, he was smart enough to compensate for Naruto when he had his moments, and last but certainly not least, the man was fucking hot. And the possibility that he would finally see what was underneath that cursed mask was high as well. Okay, the age gap could be a bit of a problem, but he didn't care about that one. At least not right now. Skipping through the streets he searched for the familiar mop of silver hair. Before he found him however, he was approached by another man. "Oi, Naruto!" "Eh? Oh, hey Aoba! What's up? "Nothing much. Say, have you seen Sasuke-san anywhere? We ought to go on a mission, but he didn't show up at our meeting point." The man scratched the back of his head. Naruto pondered for a moment. "He was still at his place about twenty minutes ago... I kinda kept him busy, sorry. He should be there now, though." Aoba sighed and nodded. "Right, I'll go back then. Thank you." he turned to leave again, but Naruto called him back. "Ne, wait a second. Have you seen Kakashi-sensei somewhere?" The Tokubetsu Jōnin halted and looked at him again, contemplating. "Hmmm... I think I saw him an hour ago near the Hokage Tower. It looked like Gai-san challenged him again. I don't know if he's still there though." Naruto nodded, grinning. "Yosh! Thanks and good luck with your mission!" And with that he darted off. Aoba gazed after him for a moment before he shook his head, wondering what the blond was up to now, and left as well.   Speeding through the village, Naruto soon arrived at the Hokage Tower where he was greeted by Gai hanging upside down from a tree and frantically doing sit-ups. "I guess he lost again...", he mumbled to himself, walking up to the man, "Hey Gekimayu-sensei." Without stopping his movements, Gai gave him a thumbs-up. Or down? "Hello, Naruto! Why don't you join me in my training on this beautiful day?" "Another time maybe..." the blond smiled sheepishly and scratched the back of his head. No way in hell... "Do you know where Kakashi-sensei is?" Gai stilled for a moment, before he swung himself up into the air, did some somersaults and landed in front of Naruto, tears of... whatever, streaming down his face. "My rival has beaten me yet again! But I shall not bow my head in shame, Naruto, for I will win the next time! And you shouldn't give up either, my youthful boy! I shall continue my training now, and may yours be blessed!" He gave him another thumbs-up along with that blinding smile and disappeared.   Naruto stood there for a moment, not sure if he should roll on the floor, laughing like a maniac, or go and sit in a corner to cry. "That was unsurprisingly unhelpful." With a huff he crossed his arms; this was getting him nowhere. He mused for a moment until he got an idea. He sat down on the ground and started gathering Nature Energy. After a few minutes he was in Sage Mode. "Well now, Kakashi-sensei, where are you...", he muttered to himself and searched for the familiar Chakra. He soon found it, and with a grin sped towards it.                                                                                                                    One famous shinobi know by the name of Hatake Kakashi lazily walked through the streets, reading an infamous little book and pondering about what he should do. There were no appealing missions available, Gai was out as well because of their 'only one challenge per day' rule, and he couldn't find someone who was worth a spar. Not that he'd ever say that out loud, but well, there's no point in kicking some little Genin's or Chūnin's ass, right? Perhaps he could go pester Genma; that was always fun... at least until you had to pull Senbons out of your body. That man had a frighteningly good aim... He was so deep in his thoughts he didn't notice the dark blur with a hint of yellow coming closer. Well, his subconscious noticed it, but since it was neither unfamiliar nor dangerous, it shrugged it off. How bad that decision was, he knew a few seconds later when suddenly all air was knocked out of him by that blur. They flew through the air until his back hit the ground a few meters away, and he couldn't help the 'oof' that escaped his lips.   "Heeey, sensei!", the person sitting on top of him chirped merrily. He blinked. "Naruto?" "The one and only!" Kakashi looked at his student, a tiny little bit dumbfounded. Then he noticed the orange markings around the other's eyes and he raised his eyebrows. "Why are you in Sage Mode? Did something happen?" The younger male shook his head, still smiling broadly. "Nah, I was searching for you and couldn't find you." The Copy Ninja's eyebrows rose higher, but instead of questioning his former student's motives, an idea struck his head. "Ne, how about a little spar?", he asked and eye-smiled. Naruto looked at him surprised, but he nodded. "Sure, but only if we go eat somewhere afterwards. Your choice, my treat." Kakashi's eyebrows shot up again. His student inviting him for lunch that wasn't specifically ramen? That was new. "Who am I to decline such a nice offer?", he chuckled, "Very well then." "Yay!" Naruto quickly stood up and offered his teacher a hand to help him get up. The silver haired male accepted the offer, briefly readjusted his clothing and picking his little book up again, before they headed for the training grounds. The civilians that had gathered around them to stare at the strange scene soon departed again; they were used to the strange quirks most shinobi displayed from time to time.   They decided that this spar should go under some special conditions, to spice things up a little. No fatal attacks or blows that would seriously harm, no Mangekyō Sharingan for Kakashi, no Sage Mode or Bijū Mode for Naruto, and it would end as soon as one of them drew blood thrice.   The fight went rather smooth for Naruto. He had already nicked Kakashi twice by the time he received the first wound, which was mostly his own fault. One of his own shuriken had been deflected by the older male and had left a small cut on the blond's hand because he hadn't been fast enough (and was kind of surprised) to dodge. Right now he was searching for his former teacher since he couldn't see him anywhere, when he suddenly felt a hand grabbing his ankle and pulling him down into the earth until his head was the only thing left seen. "Doton: Shinjū Zanshu no Jutsu![4]" "Awww, man!", Naruto groaned when he tried to free himself. Kakashi appeared kneeling in front of him. He was panting harshly, even if he seemed rather satisfied when he took out a kunai and made two small cuts on the other's cheek. "I win", he smiled and let himself fall on the ground, trying to catch his breath. "I hate it when you do this...", the younger male grumbled. "Now let me outta here!" Kakashi chuckled again, but put a hand on the ground next to the other's head, made a sign with the other and breathed: "Kai![5]" As soon as the earth around him loosened its grip, Naruto freed himself and sat down next to his teacher, sulking. "I hate this Jutsu..." "Well, to be honest, this was the only way for me to win", the silver haired male admitted, still out of breath. "Really?" "Really. I may have the experience, but your stamina is nothing but ridiculous." Naruto grinned again. Well, that was true indeed. He was barely sweating, and the small wounds on him were already disappearing.   Kakashi finally regained his breath and pulled his hitai-ate down to cover his Sharingan. He turned to his former student. "Why don't you use other Ninjutsu than Rasengan or its variations?", he asked, interested. The last time they fought like this was a long time ago. The other shrugged. "Never learned any." "You didn't? Why not?" That was surprising. "Well, there aren't any other Fūton[6] users I know of, and I'm no good at learning something completely by myself if I don't even have the slightest idea of what to do. Jutsu-scrolls are rare, too. And since my Taijutsu style doesn't fit with Chakra Blades, I can't even use it like Asuma-sensei did." Kakashi thought for a moment. "As far as I know, Fūton isn't that rare in Sunagakure no Sato. You could ask Gaara or Temari for some advice the next time you see them."[A] Now it was Naruto's turn to be surprised, but he quickly smiled. And in a short moment of courage, he even put an arm around his sensei and squeezed shortly. He ignored the raised eyebrow directed at him. "Thanks sensei, I'll sure as hell ask them! But, uhm, I kinda just thought of something... Couldn't you teach me another Chakra Nature? I mean, you know all the others, and well... I'm sort of the only Jōnin I know who can't use more than one..." He shifted a little bit, embarrassed from both the question and the confession. Kakashi watched his student critically for a moment before he eye-smiled. "Sure, why not. Do you have one in mind?" The blond nodded enthusiastically, beaming at his teacher, and opened his mouth to answer when a loud grumble emitted from his stomach. He closed his mouth again, even more embarrassed, and laughed awkwardly. His companion snorted in amusement. "I'm sure that wasn't the Kyūbi-" "Kurama", Naruto corrected automatically. "Kurama, sorry – so I guess we go eat something first, then continue with this?" Naruto nodded and jumped to his feet. He offered his sensei a hand again and pulled him up. His stomach growled again, but before he could hear another comment, the blond grabbed the other's wrist and pulled him into the village.                                                                                                          "Where do you wanna go?", Naruto asked when they reached the front gates. Kakashi, too exhausted to fight against the male tagging him along, thought for a moment. He could choose the place and his soon-to-be-student-again would pay. That called for something he usually wouldn't do. "How about the new restaurant near the Yamanaka flower shop?" Naruto inwardly winced. He had never been there, but he had heard that place was expensive... Oh well, when he wanted to get on these terms with Kakashi... "Alright", and with that he went towards the restaurant. His teacher arched an eyebrow. He got the feeling his student had a plan... When they reached their destination, Naruto searched for a place a bit more secluded. Not only because of... well, he wanted some privacy, but because he wanted to spare Kakashi from inhaling his food. They sat down and when the waiter disappeared with their orders, the blond spoke up again. "Just so you know, when our food comes I'll concentrate on it so you can eat in peace without anyone peeking at your face. That's one of the reasons why I chose this table", he explained. The older male blinked in surprise. That was rather considerate, not many people voluntarily declined an opportunity where they could see him with his mask down. "That's... surprising, but very nice of you. And what's the other reason?" Naruto smiled at that, but it wasn't the wide smile he had seen countless times before, nor was it the strained one he knew as well. It was a smile he had never seen before, and somehow, it unnerved him. "Because I want to talk to you and get to know you without people constantly interrupting us. Especially since we're both rather famous." Kakashi blinked. O-kay... That was certainly not the answer he had been expecting. His student wanted to know him better? That sounded like this was a date or something... He blinked again. Or was it a date? "Naruto... Is this a date?", he asked, eying the other male seriously. "Only if you want it to be one." There was that smile from before again. "Do you want it to be one?" The smile faltered for a moment but returned quickly. "...Yes."   Something in Kakashi's brain simply broke when he heard these words and suddenly he knew the meaning behind that smile. It was handsome. It was flirtatious in a way, and now that he saw what he was ought to see, he did see it. His once small and slightly chubby student had become one hell of a man. Nearly as tall as himself, slightly broader shoulders, defined muscles... But not in a creepy way like the Raikage. He leaned back in his stair and observed his student who seemed a bit nervous now. He arched his hidden brow and added that fact to the little pool of knowledge he had gathered so far. He ignored the waiter who returned with their orders as did Naruto who merely sat in his seat, fumbling with the seam of his sleeve waiting for a reaction. He ran through all the different scenarios in his head and, after another two minutes, came to a conclusion.   "Well...", he started but was interrupted when Naruto, startled by his voice, ripped a piece of fabric off of his sleeve and knocked a (thankfully empty) glass over. Carefully putting it back in its place, he looked at Kakashi, who wisely decided to continue like nothing had happened at all. "I guess we can give it a try. But you have to promise me that no matter what happens, it won't change anything. Like we're trying to upgrade, and if that fails we'll reboot to the last functional point, which was half an hour ago. Agreed?" A tiny little bit astonished because of that condition, Naruto could do nothing but nod his head. And then he smiled, when the words sunk in, and he understood that he was a very precious person for his teacher. A fuzzy feeling in his guts made itself know when he took up his chopsticks and started to eat, not even once looking up from his plate, just like he had promised.   "So, Chakra natures... You said you had one in mind?" Kakashi split his own chopsticks and ate as well. It was refreshing to be able to eat like a normal person outside of his apartment. The blond nodded and swallowed. "Yeah, I thought fire would be cool. I mean, I can strengthen it with wind so it goes even more boom!" Interesting way to put it, shot through Kakashi's head, as he became amused. He considered it for a moment. "You're right about that, but I think water is more suited for you." "Eh? Why?" The silver haired male casually put a hand in front of his face when he heard someone walking their way, but the person didn't even look in their direction. He continued to eat. "If I recall correctly, you and Sasuke usually go together on every mission above C-Rank, right? And you two have exceptional teamwork; not even mine and Gai's is as good, and we have known each other far longer." There was more than just a bit of pride in that statement. It was due to his teachings that Naruto and Sasuke worked so well together. And their strange kind of rivalry/friendship or whatever they called it. "Yeah, we've noticed. What does that have to do with Chakra natures?" "Sasuke can use both fire and lightning, and you can use wind. Do you remember why you deemed it fitting when Yamato and I told you about it?" Naruto pondered for a moment, chopstick stopping midway from the plate to his mouth. "Yeah... because on one hand I could keep his lighting at bay, and on the other hand I can make his fire stronger." He blinked and nearly looked up when he too got the idea. "And with water I could keep his fire at bay and make his lightning stronger! You're a genius, sensei!" Kakashi smiled, "Not only that, but it works the other way round as well. You see, most Suiton[7] Jutsu you could learn are more of a supportive rather than destructive nature, but together with his lightning even small puddles to stall the enemy can become deadly traps. You increase the area of his attacks, and he can make yours more effective." "So we'll make an even better team then. Awesome!" Naruto punched the air, but since he still had his eyes glued on the plate in front of him it looked kind of strange. "When do you have time? I think I already have one or two easy Jutsu in mind to start with." "I'm going on a mission tomorrow, but nothing bad. Just taking a letter to some merchant who asked for permission to stay in the village for a few days. I'll be back in three days, so maybe Thursday?" Kakashi nodded, he always managed to get some time to spare if he wanted to. Especially since all the Hidden Villages were at peace. "9 am at training ground 5? We could go have lunch together and then continue with the training, if you want to." He could see a broad smile spreading on the younger male's face at his words, who then nodded. "Sure."   For the rest of the meal they simply updated each other on their current life. Naruto learned that Kakashi had actually wanted to rejoin ANBU when the blond had made Chūnin, but was rejected because of his age -he had to snicker at that and was promptly awarded with a kick to his shin- and that Mr. Ukki was still alive and growing. He heard some funny stories about Gekimayu-sensei and his challenges -he had once dared Kakashi to use the Oiroke no Jutsu[8] to see which of them was the prettier woman, but Kakashi had refused. Naruto got another kick when he asked why- and how Tsunade-baa-chan threw a tantrum when he plainly told her "Not ever again" and left after she asked him to take on another Genin-team. Naruto in turn told about how Sasuke was an asshole, no surprise there, about a mission where a woman even older than the Tsuchikage had tried to get into his pants and he had to flee for his dear life -Kakashi chocked on his food when he heard that one, and after that he laughed. Hard. And then he got kicked.- He wasn't that surprised when he learned of the short relationship of sorts his students had, and merely stated that he kind of saw that coming, but promised none the less that he wouldn't tell anyone else. After they were done eating Naruto paid for their food like he had promised, even if he shot a sad look at his now very thin Gama-chan. But, he decided, it was very well worth it. He had really enjoyed it, and he told his teacher so. Kakashi simply eye-smiled and waved goodbye before he disappeared in a puff of smoke.                                                                                                            The next few weeks passed in no time at all, or at least Naruto had the feeling they did. He had successfully learned two minor, and one major, water Jutsus thanks to his Kage Bunshin, and he would never forget the look on Sasuke's face when he had first used one in front of him in the middle of a mission. But the raven quickly caught on and sent some electricity into the water, frying the enemies standing in it. With this, a grinning Naruto and an evilly smirking Sasuke concluded, they were even more one hell of a deadly duo.   With Kakashi everything went smooth. When they both had the time they trained, ate together, trained some more, and sparred. They'd never before known each other as good as they did now and since their last date, they could even call themselves an item, even if the blond had to swear on his life to never tell anything about the older male's face to anyone, but the pride swelling in his chest for being one of the very few living persons knowing it sure made up for it. Naruto had developed some rather serious feelings for his former teacher and was therefore on cloud nine the last days, much to the annoyance of most of his friends, especially Sasuke. He had even kicked the blond out of his apartment more than once, because 'now it's even less possible to have a decent conversation' with him. And what did Naruto do? He sulked for a moment, thought about kicking the door in and beating the shit out of his friend, but then decided to pay his currently favourite person a visit. As far as he knew, Kakashi had returned from a rather tiring mission that night and could probably use some company.   What started with a nice, casual visit containing a nice dinner and some kisses here and there, soon turned out into an evening that told Naruto just how kinky his new boyfriend could be. Seriously, he'd never thought of using his Kage Bunshin's like... that. And while he lay sprawled on his teacher's couch in his post coital daze, he tried to gather his senses enough to form a coherent sentence. He heard Kakashi shuffling through the apartment when he suddenly felt something being thrown onto his stomach. He blinked slowly. Then he blinked again, and after some seconds he looked at the something. Another blink. His clothes. He heard chuckling somewhere but couldn't quite process it, and instead he tried to get into his underwear. It wasn't that easy if you felt like you had no bones, or even muscles, at all. Naruto successfully fulfilled his mission and stilled again. That had been exhausting...   "Am I that good?" he heard another chuckle and Naruto turned his head to look at its source. A satisfied smile settled on his features. At least he was able to think straight again now, perhaps even talk? "Mhmm- Where did you learn that stuff?" A complete, correct sentence. Yay him! But instead of receiving an answer, Kakashi merely patted a small pile of books on his commode. Naruto looked closer at them and nearly fell from the couch. "Icha Icha? But there wasn't any of this stuff in the one I had to read!", he exclaimed shocked. Kakashi shot him a dazzling smile and the blond felt something warm rising in his guts. "You probably only read the normal edition. These are the limited, extended editions." Naruto's blue eyes grew so huge one might think they were about to explode. "And the thing with the Kage Bunshin?" This time the silver haired male tapped against his temple, now smirking. The blond had to snort at that, amused. "Figures."   After a few more minutes, enough of Naruto's strength had returned for him to get completely dressed again. He watched his still half-naked boyfriend tidying up after their adventure, aka changing the sheets, and shuffling around some more, until the blond grabbed the other's wrist while the older male passed the couch he now sat on. Naruto pulled the other down next to him, threw his thighs over his lap, and leaned back against the arm of the couch. "Enough shuffling, I have to leave in twenty minutes. The teme and I are going on a mission tomorrow morning." "Do you know when you'll be back?", Kakashi asked, stroking the leg in front of him. Naruto shook his head, a smile tugging at his lips, "No. We're escorting some dude to the capitol. Depends on how slow he is, but I think maximum ten days, probably less. I'll contact you when I'm back." The older male simply nodded and they sat in a comfortable silence, Kakashi fondling the other's thighs and Naruto playing with the taller male's hair, occasionally moving his fingers across the pale neck. Kakashi wasn't usually the cuddly type, but right now was an exception. They just had mind-blowing sex and they wouldn't get another chance for at least a week.   When the twenty minutes were over, Naruto sighed deeply and reluctantly let go of his partner. He stretched and felt his joints jumping back into place before he looked at the other again. A grin appeared on his features when he suddenly ruffled the older male's hair,his hand being slapped away with a playful growl. The blond leaned down for a last deep kiss, before he pulled the famous mask back into place and turned to leave, but then an idea struck his head. He faced the older male again and pointed at the books behind him. "Hey, can I burrow those for a while?" Kakashi looked at him, at the books, back at him and started laughing. "You've become curious now, huh? I thought those were trash?" Naruto shrugged and then grinned despite the hint of red on his cheeks. "Well, I was young and clueless back then." The older male chuckled again before he stood up, but instead of grabbing the books on the commode, he went to a bookshelf and picked up some books before giving them to the blond. Naruto looked at them and then frowned. "'Icha Icha Paradise – Extended Edition', and 'Violence' and 'Tactics' as well. Why these and not those?" He pointed to the pile behind them again. "Because those were signed by Jiraiya-sama before he gave them to me. Nobody gets them. I bought those in your hand before that, so I don't really need them anymore. You can keep them, if you want." The blond looked at him surprised. He could keep them? "Cool!" He put them away in the pouch on his back before tugging the other's mask down again, giving him a chaste kiss, before putting it back into place. He waved, then left the apartment. Hosted by Animexx e.V. (http://www.animexx.de)