The One I Always Wanted: Chapter 1

What made it all more frustrating to those who had to deal with the clutter was the fact that the receiver of these gifts seemed oblivious to there existence.

Iruka sighed as he set another package from someone onto the growing pile by the window. It was another, 'well when he gets back, could you give him this? It's not much, just a little something.' Yeah, right. They were all just a little something. Iruka fumed silently, ignoring the looks from Izumo and Kotetsu since it seemed for some reason the scarred nose chuunin was always the one stuck taking the gifts for the Copy Nin.

"Does he even open them?" Iruka mumbled to himself. He sure wouldn't take them when he came to drop off his report, late. Still, by the sixteenth the packages were already gone though since no one gossiped about getting thank you notes who knew what he did with them? "Probably doesn't even say thank you," he whispered as he louder and more forcefully than necessary organized a stack of papers.

About an hour, and half a dozen more presents, later, Kakashi strolled into the office. He had a hand in his pocket and his customary orange book open and in his face. He walked over to Iruka and fished around, without stopping his reading, for his crumpled report.

"You could at least try having it on time if you're going to turn it in like this," Iruka griped as he tried to smooth it out.

"Hn? Oh right, sorry," Kakashi said without looking up.

Iruka glared at him but Kakashi kept on reading. "You could at least get your mess from behind the desk!" his voice went up.

"Hn?" Kakashi blinked and actually looked, "oh right, well, I'll get them later. I've got an errand to run."

"What? Kakashi these things have been piling up for two days now!" Iruka stood and gave his best teacher point.

"Well, then what's one more day?" Kakashi smiled and turned to leave.

"Kakashi!" Iruka yelled but the older ninja was gone in a puff of smoke.

The brown haired chuunin fell into his chair with a defeated sigh.

Izumo and Kotetsu exchanged glances but wisely kept their mouths shut.

A few days later, all the packages were gone. Not a single ribbon was left anywhere as far as Iruka could see. He nodded his approval at the cleaned space before getting back to work.

"Better to have the clutter gone," Iruka said to himself as he again took too much effort to right a stack of papers.

Kotetsu was finally reaching his limit of keeping quiet. He opened his mouth to say something only to have his breath cut off by a quickly placed Izumo hand. Izumo shook his head, not wanting his lover to say anything. Kotetsu gave a growl but mumbled something about going to get some lunch then left dragging Izumo with him.

Iruka didn't seem to notice. He continued to shuffle and reorganize the stack of papers while muttering about selfish, ungrateful, clueless, out of reach Copy Nin.

*** 

Kakashi sighed as he finally opened the last present and set it in the box to leave at the second hand shop. The gray haired ninja hadn't felt deserving of gifts since he'd gotten the one that helped him save the village time and again. Trying to tell people that never seemed to work and not saying thank you wasn't discouraging them either.

"Box is fuller this year," Kakashi whispered to himself as he stared at the box. He was careful to change anything that had been personalized and he was sure the owner of the shop had long ago figured out who donated things to his shop every year. He must have since not a single person ever mentioned having found the gift they'd given him turned up in the shop.

Kakashi didn't feel bad doing it. When stuff was donated to the shop instead of traded a lot of times the money made from the sale went to things around the village like parties at the orphanage or prizes for competitions at the school.

The food was always harder to deal with. Usually it would get put out on a different plate in the mission office or one of the lounges. It never lasted long enough for anyone to question where it came from.

At least for Christmas he was mostly left alone as far as gift leaving was concerned. So many others to give to it was easier to not buy or bake for the 'ungrateful' Hatake.

Kakashi pushed at the box with his foot. Despite his not wishing for gifts there was one person who he hoped every year would give him something. Sure he knew that was selfish but considering that person was one of the few Kakashi gave to every year he thought it might be okay if the favor was returned. Of course the fact he never signed the cards he left probably made it hard for a certain Ninja Academy teacher to do that.

He sat staring where the pile of presents had been. It was now just an empty spot on his floor. He'd had to wonder if maybe, somehow, he'd missed it and the gift was really there. The only thing he saw was a spot where one of his kunai had fallen out one day and gouged the hardwood.

"Oh well," Kakashi said to himself as he got up from the floor, "no point in being mopey. I've got things to do." He grabbed the box, which was indeed fuller and heavier, and dashed off to his task.

*** 

"Kotetsu!" Izumo hissed sharply, "why in the world are we breaking into Iruka-sensei's apartment?"

Kotetsu sighed, "would you shut it for a second and let me concentrate? If we get caught he'll kill us."

"Or worse," Izumo whispered, "give us to Genma."

"Or Lady Hokage," Kotetsu added with a shiver then shook his head, "damn it see now I lost my place!"

Izumo rolled his eyes as he used his hip to gently shove his boyfriend from the door, "should have used the window." He took the lock picking tools and in the space of a few heartbeats the door clicked open.

Kotetsu shoved back as he checked for traps. Iruka though wasn't the type to leave any. Once that was done he jumped in the door and grabbed Izumo to help him do the same.

Kotetsu shut the door as Izumo asked again, "So what are we doing here? It's not like we need the answers to tomorrows exam."

"He doesn't keep those here," Kotetsu said as he started to dig on a shelf in the chuunin's closet.

Izumo would have thrown a wad of paper at him if he'd had one handy.

"Look, I'm tired of listening to Iruka bitch about all those presents for Kakashi," Kotetsu said, "now help me look. I don't think it's very big."

"Huh?" Izumo started to look even though he didn't know what they were looking for.

Kotetsu sighed this time; "Umino has a damn present for Kakashi in here somewhere. He never gives it to him because he doesn't have guts when it comes to his personal life since well you know."

Izumo nodded and started looking faster, "Yeah I know." After a few minutes of searching, "so what makes you think Kakashi wants this one when he gets all those other ones?"

"Because," Kotetsu said as he got distracted by a photo album for a minute, "don't you think there's a reason Kakashi turns in his mission reports when he does?"

"He's always late," Izumo, argued as he tried to not spill a jar of writing utensils.

"Yeah, but he's even later if he has to wait for Iruka to be in the office," Kotetsu argued giggling over what looked like a picture of chibi Naruto making faces for a class picture.

Izumo thought on that, "yeah, I don't think I noticed that. Don't think it's because he likes getting yelled at do you?"

Kotetsu snorted, "Enough others scream at him, I doubt that's it." He put the album away and dug in the box next to it. "Yes!" he declared as he pulled out a thin-ish box with a gray ribbon.

Izumo came over, "how do you know that's it?"

"Trust me, will ya?" Kotetsu said with a playful punch to Izumo's arm.

"Don't I always?" Izumo grinned as he rubbed his arm unnecessarily.

Kotetsu snickered as he gave Izumo the present to hold as he put everything back the way they'd found it in the sensei's closet.

"Let's go," he declared once things were back. They booked from the apartment to put the last of the plan into motion.

*** 

Izumo and Kotetsu knew if they tried to follow Kakashi he'd give them the slip out of habit. Instead they made a point to say something when he came to drop off his next report about someone forgetting something. He was confused but they knew he'd be too curious to not want to look at things left outside his door. His was not a place to break into.

Iruka had been too busy griping about the ink having run from Kakashi getting the report wet. "You went to the village of the sand! How is your report wet?" he said but knew he'd not get an answer.

Kakashi was in the middle of apologizing when he noticed that Kotetsu was now gone but not Izumo. That right there triggered bells because seriously, when were those two apart?

He gave another quick apology and promises to never do it again then was gone again.

Kakashi went straight home. He was confused as ever to find a ribboned package outside his door. He'd never gotten one after his birthday much less a full week later.

"Kotetsu," Kakashi said even though he didn't see him, "what is this?"

Kotetsu appeared at Kakashi's elbow, "something someone keeps forgetting to give you. Trust me, this one you'll want to keep."

Kakashi's one visible eye got a little big. Kotetsu knew?

Kotetsu snickered, "how else would those nice kunais end up in the shop every year?" There was more to it but that's all he was saying. "You don't need to thank me," he said with a wave and walked off.

Kakashi scratched his head then headed into his apartment. Sitting down on the bed he put the box on his lap. With fingers that felt like they should have been shaking he pulled the simple ribbon then lifted the lid. Inside was a plain, sort of cream-colored scarf. That was all. Well it was darker than cream but wasn't exactly brown or yellow. Kakashi really wasn't sure what color it was but he liked it.

He looked at it for a while and then a conversation came into his head. Something about Iruka saying he'd catch his death one of these days if he didn't dress more properly for colder missions. Kakashi had smiled and said something about losing his scarf and mittens, then sneezed. That was ages ago, before he even had a squad.

The fuzzy headed ninja picked up the scarf and set the box aside. It was really soft and had nice little fringes on the end. He smiled as he rubbed his thumb over the fabric. He folded it carefully and set it in his dresser for now.

*** 

Shortly after Kakashi had his mission to the land of snow. When he returned there was an envelope with his mission report. Iruka was going to ask but Kakashi was gone even faster this time. He looked inside and felt his cheeks get warm. Inside there was a picture, he wasn't sure who took it, but it was of Kakashi standing by Naruto and wearing the scarf. There was a little note inside too, it read: "Thanks. It came in really handy and look, no cold!" and was signed with his customary face.

Kotetsu poked Izumo when he saw Iruka. The two giggled softly to themselves and didn't think a thing of it when Iruka said he was leaving early for the night to see a friend.