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Another one?This was the third package to appear on his desk in the two weeks since Christmas.The letters were sweet, even if the gifts were somewhat baffling (Why a cactus? He had no clue, and the letter hadn't hinted at anything either. It was sitting on the corner of this desk now.) Iruka wished he knew who these letters and gifts were coming from. He hadn’t felt so loved in far too long.The letters seemed to be leading to a meeting, too. Maybe a date? The letters were rather romantic in tone, even if the gifts didn't all connect. He just wanted to know who. Even his decade of experience deciphering mission reports from Konoha's shinobi wasn't helping him. (It couldn't be a foreign shinobi, could it? He knew things were more open, but they weren't that open, were they? Could he even figure out who had been in Konoha that long? He did still have his high security clearance–it might be worth investigating…)Well, if it was a date, then he supposed Valentine’s Day was the next big event. Five weeks away. Hopefully it wouldn’t take that long to get things figured out.Now, he needed to double check that everything was in order for today’s lessons. (A handful of students had taken to the traps unit like ducks to water, so he needed to be extra careful. He’d love it if someone surpassed his skills, but no winners thus far… It was a shame Naruto and Sasuke hadn’t gotten along when they were his students–with Naruto’s creativity and Sasuke’s intelligence they likely could have done it. Teamwork, as Rokudaime-sama always said.) Fortunately, everything was in order. There were no traps that he hadn't set, and none of his had been tripped or reset.Iruka looked at the clock and frowned. Sadly, he didn't have time to check the package now. He would have to wait until later–noon if he was lucky, after classes if he wasn’t–and he was rarely so lucky as to have both free time and privacy at noon.The day passed in a blur of lessons, problem solving, troubleshooting, and student activities. He’d been right: no free time at noon. One of Sakura’s spiritual successors had kept him occupied with questions the whole time. He’d had exactly five minutes to cram food into his mouth before the afternoon started.Finally, he collapsed at his desk, body slumped for just a moment now that no one was watching. He pulled out the remains of his lunch and this morning’s package. He took a bite of his onigiri and contemplated the gift. It was wrapped and tied in a brilliant red, silky fabric. A small scroll was tucked into the opening where the fabric was tied. He pulled out the scroll. His hands flowed automatically through the trap detection justu used in the administration building. Nothing. Just like the others. It still wouldn’t do to get sloppy.He popped the scroll open and took a moment to admire the lovely calligraphy (why couldn’t Konoha's shinobi write their reports this neatly?), and settled in to read. This one wasn’t as long as the first couple, but just as sweet.By the time he finished reading, stress he hadn't realized he was carrying had disappeared. His shoulders were actually sloped down, his mind felt remarkably clear, and his face was relaxed into a softer smile that, until now, had been reserved for Naruto.He reached to untie the fabric wrapping to see what was inside. He was shocked to see what it contained: his favourite tea, which wasn't from Tea Country, but from the southern end of River Country.Who would know that about him? The tea was an expensive import, and he rarely indulged. He hadn't shared with anyone either, not since his regular tea time with the Sandaime… So, unless someone had rifled through his house, the letters and gifts were definitely from a Konoha shinobi, and one who'd been around for a long, long time. That was a fairly short list of people… and he couldn't think of a single one of them who might be doing this— regardless of what his day (and night) dreams contained.
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Two weeks later Iruka recieved package number five. This was the largest of all those he'd found. And it hadn't been left on his desk at the academy, either. He'd found it sitting on his kitchen table, just underneath his (slightly) open window. He couldn't decide if he was creeped out by that or not—it was just after midnight, and he'd had too long a day putting out fires (both literal and figurative) after a handful of students decided to have an impromptu jutsu competition during afternoon weapons training time. A handful of bystanders had been injured—minor, thank the Shodaime—and while shinobi parents were understanding, civilian parents were not. All of the teachers would be dealing with the fallout for weeks. He was so tired, and so sleepy, he just didn't have the energy to think through or process the implications about where the new package was found.Iruka debated for a handful of moments whether or not he even wanted to open the package and letter tonight a leave it for after he'd had some sleep. (Would he sleep? or would all the "what ifs" surrounding the day's events just spiral around in his mind until he eventually fell into uneasy dreams (nightmares) about them?) He decided to open the package. He hoped it would distract his mind just long enough to get some rest…There was no letter on the outside of the beautiful wooden box sitting on his table. That was a first. He was disappointed—the letters were what really raised his spirits, and he hadn't realized how much he'd come to rely on that in the last month. Another thing to ponder another day. He set the feeling aside and opened the box… and gasped.Inside was a beautiful half-mask. It was all black and white and dark blue, with gold highlighting its animalistic features. He thought it might represent a wolf. Maybe a fox. Canine, for sure. Iruka slowly and carefully pulled the mask out of the of dark blue silk it was nestled in, and carefully ran his fingers over the long snout, around the eyes, up the ears. The mask's fabric was more rich, heavy silk. The accents were a combination of fur and feathers. After noticing those details, he realized that the gold accents were likely to be real gold. And when he angled the mask differently, there was a sparkle around the left eye that were likely real gemstones.What in the world…? Who…? Why…?The emotions were too much. Too much after a day that had been full of them. He absently, but still carefully, set the mask back in the box.He stumbled to his room and collapsed onto his bed into a deep, dreamless sleep.(Mission accomplished.)
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Iruka woke up feeling remarkably, relatively, well rested. He stretched his arms above this head and extended his body as far as he could without actually standing up. Then yesterday's memories crashed over him. He popped up and rolled out of bed, moving quickly to the kitchen to see if the box—if the mask—was actually there.It was.Iruka lifted the lid to look at the mask again. It was even more beautiful in the morning light than it had been in the dimmer light of his kitchen bulbs.With the benefit of a good night's sleep, he noticed some new details.The first: the mask itself had no ribbon or cord to tie it onto his head, and no stick attached to hold it. He flipped the mask over and his eyebrows shot up: there were seals inscribed on the inside. He traced the lines of them with his eyes to decode their meaning—they were meant to keep the mask in place. Thanks to the Sandaime’s indulgence for a young child, he thought these may be the same seals inscribed on the inside of the ANBU masks.The next new thing he did notice was the letter attached to the box's lid—on the inside. He checked the time. He'd woken before his usual hour, so he decided that he had time to read the letter this morning.
Iruka-sensei,
You had a rough day yesterday, so I wanted to leave you a, hopefully pleasant, gift for your homecoming. I hope that all those parents didn't keep you too late last night. You're so good at reassuring people—you did for me for many years when I returned from missions—so I can't imagine that they were not after speaking with you.
As you may have inferred from my gift, I would like to meet you at the Allied Shinobi Masquerade. If you are willing, and able, leave your cactus in your classroom window within the next 7 days, and I will deliver your ticket to you.
Lovingly, Yours
Iruka was stunned.The masquerade was the first time shinobi from all five great nations, and quite a few smaller ones, were to gather for a non-military event. He knew that many of Konoha's most famous and well connected shinobi, and their families, would be attending. As interesting as the spectacle would be, Iruka hadn't given any serious thought to attending himself. He was interested though, and not just because of the opportunity to learn the identity of his letter writer. A soft smile bloomed across his face.He sat for a moment to simply enjoy his feelings, then looked at his clock again. Yikes! It was later than it should be. Not enough time for a full breakfast—or to pack a lunch, damn it. If he rushed through his other morning ablutions, he should have time to pop into one of the shops along his route for both coffee and breakfast-to-go. Lunch might be a lost cause, but that was more usual than not.He bolted for the bedroom.
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The first part of his morning was spent dealing with the first part of the fallout: laying out the consequences for his class. With some students absent and some present wearing bandages, the class' reaction was more subdued and accepting than he'd expected. He hoped the other teacher's were having as easy a time with this as he was (he knocked on the wood of his desk the instant the thought passed through his mind).The day passed quickly in an equally subdued fashion. Lunch was taken up with a staff meeting debrief—with food provided by the Rokudaime (who was, fortunately, not in attendance), so he even had a chance to eat.The day was turning out much better than he'd expected (he knocked on the table this time).
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During the quiet moments of his day, his mind kept returning to his invitation to the masquerade… and the identity of his letter writer. The reference to returning from missions meant it had to be a Konoha shinobi, which was a relief to Iruka. They’d obviously encountered one another before, if they’d found his presence or words reassuring after missions. He supposed they could have taken care to disguise their writing, so he wouldn’t recognize it from their mission reports. Most likely a male, given the significantly higher number of male shinobi than female. Gender wasn’t the most important characteristic in anyone he was attracted to. Their letters and gifts had certainly shown that this person knew him at a deeper-than-surface level, which made him wonder if he also knew them that way. It had to be a shinobi of a similar age, and, given the quality of the gifts–especially the mask, and their ability to get their hands on tickets to the masquerade–told him that they were likely of a higher rank than chunin. So, tokujo or jonin, since he wouldn’t encounter ANBU after missions. Lots of the older shinobi were also in relationships, too (some were trying to keep it a secret, but the in-village chunin always knew), which meant they weren’t seeking him out. Honestly, there weren’t a lot of candidates.While he knew who he was hoping for, he didn’t find any of the options objectionable, so he’d have to talk to the Headmaster and the Hokage to get permission for the necessary leave from the Academy and permission to leave the village. He had seven days, so he’d best speak to the Headmaster right after school today, then he could make an appointment with the Hokage and file his paperwork…
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Despite the hassle it would be for Iruka to take time off in the middle of the term–and the middle of the week–the headmaster was strangely enthusiastic about granting the leave when Iruka told her that he had received the invitation.“You haven’t missed a day of school in years, Iruka-sensei! And you never take the leave you’re entitled to! And I’m glad to hear that you’ve found someone to spoil you a little!”Iruka supposed that was all true enough. But since he wasn't actually in a relationship with this person, Iruka hoped the Headmaster’s discretion would win out over a desire to have the latest gossip.In any case, he was relieved that getting this permission had been so easy (He knocked on the door frame on his way out this time).Time to head to the administrative building to make an appointment with the Hokage.
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Shikamaru was sitting at the desk in front of the Hokage’s office when Iruka went to make his appointment.“He doesn’t have anyone with him right now, Iruka-sensei,” Shikamaru told him. “You can go right in.”“Thank-you, Shikamaru-kun.”Iruka wasn't ready to talk to Kakashi yet–he’d planned on having at least a full day to get himself ready and make sure he was calm and professional during the conversation. He could feel his face heating up as he knocked and opened the door when he heard Kakashi call for him to enter. He quickly swiped his hands on his pants before the door opened all the way. He closed the door and turned to Kakashi.Kakashi looked happy to see him–his eyes, at least, were curved like smiles and his body language seemed right.Kakashi greeted him first, “Good afternoon, Iruka-sensei!”“Good afternoon, Hokage-sama–” Iruka began.“Just Kakashi, please,” Kakashi interrupted.Iruka nodded in response, “Good afternoon, Kakashi-sama. Pardon my intrusion.”Kakashi waved his hand, so Iruka figured Kakashi actually welcomed the interruption.“What can I do for you?”Iruka swallowed, then cleared his throat. “I received an invitation to the Shinobi Alliance Masquerade. The Headmaster has granted me leave to attend, so I am seeking permission to leave the village, and hopefully travel with some of the others going, in order to attend.”“How exciting! Who will you be travelling with?” Kakashi asked. Was it Iruka’s imagination, or had Kakashi’s shoulders just relaxed a little?“I’m not sure yet, Kakashi-san,” Iruka began. “I’ve been receiving anonymous letters and gifts from someone in the village, and the invitation came from them. We are supposed to meet there, so I suppose I will ask around and see who else is going, so I can travel with them.”“An anonymous invitation? To a party outside the village? Aren’t you worried about whether or not it’s a trick?” Kakashi asked.“Not really,” Iruka answered. When Kakashi kept silent, Iruka explained. “The letters and gifts have not been threatening in any way. The letters and gifts themselves contain clues that have given me some ideas about who they are coming from.” Did Kakashi tense up a little at that? Iruka decided to pay a little more attention… “They all point to someone who knows me fairly well, and over a long period of time, and hint that I know them as well. There are not many shinobi in Konoha who qualify, and I am open to meeting any of them there. If I can’t figure it out, then the group traveling may further narrow the list. In any case, if my fellow Konoha shinobi know that I am there, I do believe backup will be available if something goes wrong… and I believe I can hold my own against most long enough for help to come.”"Well, you've certainly given it some thought. I'll grant permission." Kakashi held out his hand.Iruka stared blankly for a moment, then reddened when he realized what Kakashi was waiting for. "I don't have the paperwork ready—I was only here to make an appointment, and didn't expect to see you.""Maa, well, I guess you'll just have to come by again tomorrow, then!" Kakashi's eyes were closed and emoting happiness. One, previously fairly unlikely possibility, moved a little further up the list… Kakashi was never happy at the prospect of paperwork… "On your way out, ask Shikamaru for a copy of the itinerary—there's no reason you can't travel with my group."Iruka smiled, for more than one reason, and most sincerely said, "Thank you, Kakashi-sama." (There was no reason for Kakashi to know yet that the thank you was for more than one reason, either.)Iruka bowed and headed out the door.
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Paperwork filed and itinerary picked up, Iruka headed straight back to his classroom to move his cactus from his desk to the window. He wondered how long it would be until his admirer noticed and left him his ticket (and maybe, hopefully, another letter).The answer: not very long at all. There was, in fact, a small package hanging from his front door. He wondered if his admirer chose to respect the sanctity of his house, or if they just hadn't had time—it had been 30 minutes, tops, since he’d moved the cactus. Which definitely tipped the scales in favour of the one candidate who knew that would happen today. Iruka grinned. The grin may have edged into smirk territory. It drifted through his mind that he could use his echolocation to try and catch his admirer in the act… but he decided it was more fun to let things ride and keep an eye out for clues, instead.He brought the package into the house and toed off his sandals. Then he sat down to have a look at what he'd received. There was more than just a Masquerade ticket here. It felt like something cylindrical. A new pen, perhaps?No. Inside was a beautiful hairstick. The stick itself was enamelled black, and had a wolf charm hanging from the end. The wolf was also black, with decorative gold lines, and dark blue eyes. It matched the mask. He wondered if he had time to find a matching kimono—he had neither time nor money to commission a set, though he now wished dearly that he had both. If not, he should be able find a formal suit. With black as the dominant colour, it should be easy to find something. He paused. Was that by design…? It certainly could be. His admirer had already shown themselves to be detail oriented.He opened the letter. Inside was his ticket and a short note:
Dearest Iruka-sensei,
As promised, a ticket for you. I'm delighted that you will be able to attend with me. When you find your match, you will have found me.
Lovingly, Yours
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The next few weeks were a flurry of preparations. He had leave for a full week of school, so a replacement teacher had to be arranged, and lesson plans for the week set up. He headed out to the shops to see if he could find a formal kimono (no joy, as he expected, but worth the try. He did find a very nice suit, which could be altered in time, though). He got a haircut. He made sure he had everything needed for the days of travel there and back. He still had the occasional parent popping by to ask questions about training methods (he hoped his week-long absence would put a stop to that).And in that time, he still received two more letters and gifts. One was a booking at an onsen in the city where the masquerade was being held (so his muscles 'would be fully relaxed after the stresses of the winter'). The other was, Iruka had laughed hard when he saw it, a new pen.He was very much looking forward to next week's date.
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The trip to Alliance Headquarters went more smoothly than Iruka expected, given how many people they were traveling with. Probably because all of the civilians had departed the previous week with their own bodyguards, so their group was all shinobi. It was more relieving than he thought it should be that he wasn’t the only one who hadn’t been active in the field in years, too–some of the Akimichi and Yamanaka representatives also worked in the village.Given the size of the group, it was also surprising how often Kakashi ended up beside him as they ran. Kakashi was definitely splitting his attention between all of the groups and clans present, but also definitely spent more time with Iruka than he should for a chunin-ranked, non-clan shinobi. Iruka enjoyed their conversations. Topics ranged from Iruka’s pranking experiences growing up and his transition to his current ‘proper’ image, to some of Kakashi’s experiences outside Fire Country, to a particularly engaging conversation about Konoha’s budget.Iruka spent time with many of the others in their group as well–Hyuga Hanabi (he both could and couldn’t believe Hiashi had dragged her along; she was likely to be the youngest attendee), Santa Yamanaka and his wife (their twin daughters would be starting at the Academy in a few months), and Yoshino Nara (it was different connecting with her as an adult, instead of their previous student to sensei relationship. He was in a position to sympathize as he started connecting with his own former students).
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Iruka was tired, but it was a physical tired, rather than the mental tired he was used to. The group made good time, and had decided to push forward to arrive at the Alliance Headquarters late at night, rather than sleep outdoors and arrive mid-morning. He was glad, actually. He’d be able to sleep in a bed, and spend tomorrow in relaxation. Naruto was supposed to meet them here, so he hoped to be able to spend some time with him during the day, too. Of course, Naruto may also spend the whole day wrapped up with Hinata and his other friends from across the continent, rather than spend some time with his old sensei. After finding his room, he barely dropped his travel pack on a chair and removed his dirty travel clothes before falling into bed and dreamless sleep.
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When Iruka asked around in the morning, he learned that Naruto was coming with the Suna contingent and they weren’t due until mid to late afternoon. So, Iruka indulged his curiosity and spent part of the morning poking into every place in the headquarters he was allowed.He spent the rest of the morning exploring the city and surrounding area. He wanted to make the most of this rare opportunity to see and experience life outside Fire Country. Instead of returning to the headquarters for lunch, he picked up food from local establishments. He also popped into shops to see (and hopefully purchase) from some of the local artisans–this trip was wonderful in its own right, even without the date that had prompted it, and Iruka wanted a separate memento. He bought some of one of the local teas, some candy to take back to his students, a beautiful leather book cover that was just the right size for his planning book back in Konoha, and two copies of a book by a local photographer with some rather stunning photos of the area–he knew photography was one of the hobbies of Kakashi’s alter ego. A couple of hours after lunch, he headed for the onsen and some delightful relaxation before heading back to headquarters to (hopefully) see Naruto and get ready for the masquerade.
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Naruto and the Suna party hadn't yet arrived, so Iruka went back to his room to get ready for the party. He laid out and dressed in his new, formal suit of deepest black, with its deep blue pocket square. He carefully brushed and styled his hair, sliding the hairstick into the knot on the top of his head, rather than its usual ponytail. (This, on its own, Iruka thought, would be enough to disguise him from everyone who knows him, no masks necessary.)He debated for a while between taking the risk to bring the book to the Masquerade as a gift or playing it safe and giving it to Kakashi back in Konoha. In the end, he compromised—he would bring the book, but he would not make any direct reference to the love letters in the note inside… just in case. Chuckling quietly, he pulled out his new pen and wrote on the book's first page. Then he set it beside the mask to wait until it was time to go.As ready as he could be, he settled down to read until it was time to go.
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He didn't connect with Naruto until 30ish minutes into the masquerade. Naruto had been surprised, but happy, to see him here, and while enthusiastic to visit, Iruka could also see that he was impatient to get back to his friends, so Iruka waved him off and circulated some more to see if he could find his date. It was tricky despite the bright lighting. There were a huge variety in the types of masks—not truly surprising given the number of attendees from so many nations. Hopefully, his letter writer was keeping himself still somewhere fairly visible… rather than hiding in a dark corner with a book.Actually, he should be checking the darker, quieter corners rather than the dance floor and seating (socializing) areas…Bingo. There, in a seating arrangement partially hidden by a large potted plant, was a man in a dark mask holding a bright orange book. Iruka wore a very satisfied smirk as he walked toward him, suspicions all but confirmed. When he got closer, he could see that the mask was a match to his, though with silver accents rather than gold. The man looked up from his book when Iruka sat down in the other chair, a polite and welcoming smile on his face (and wasn't that a surprising treat).Then Iruka took the final risk, "Thank you for the letters and gifts, Kakashi."Kakashi’s smile grew into one of true joy, "You're welcome."