Halloween was not something that was known in Konoha, not the way it may have been known in other parts of the world. The end of October, however, was still marked by the holiday. Some families took their children door to door, dressed in costumes and begging treats, some families went to shrines to pay homage in a more solemn observation of All Hallows Eve. There was a decently large movement to spread the more traditional observations, decorating doorways with herbs and putting out offerings for the wandering spirits whom the holiday was originally dedicated to.

It had been decided years ago that the academy would close, giving a break to everyone rather than abandoning those that put actual religious significance into Hallows Eve. In the end, every year, the students were given a vacation with two days off on either side; on the lucky years when the holiday fell on a Wednesday, the kids actually got a full week break. This year, the day was a Friday, which meant that classes would resume on Monday, but they would not meet starting Wednesday. As Iruka’s class neared its end, it was clear that all of them were well aware of that fact.

Iruka himself had always had a rather unique view of Halloween. When he was little, his parents hadn’t done anything for the holiday and so it hadn’t been any more than a school break for him. After the Fox attack, Iruka had learned the history and had been fascinated with the day spirits could walk among the living. He’d stayed up several years, hoping to be able to see his parents and other friends that he’d lost at the time. He had given that up long ago, but because of it, his Halloween ritual was quite unique, and he shared it every year with his students that were interested.

Five minutes left before dismissal, Iruka put away his book, watching as his students’ faces lit up. “I won’t be seeing some of you until Monday morning,” the teacher said with a smile. “I want you all to promise me that you’ll be safe over the weekend. If you are going out to get candy, remember not to eat it all in one night or you’ll get sick. No pranks! No vandalism, even if it’s just funny. Remember to be nice to everyone, they might not feel the same way you do about this time of year.” It was a fairly routine speech that Iruka gave every year and he waited for the chorus of ‘we promise’ before coming to the part that many children were looking forward to.

“Now, I’ll be here tomorrow morning at the normal time to start setting up my decorations. All of you should remember it from last year, I hope at least some of you liked it then. Anyone who wants to help me out setting up can meet me tomorrow morning.” Iruka would end up doing most of the work, he knew, but it was always nice to have his kids there with him. He’d spend the day teaching the history of the day and the meanings of different herbs and plants as he put up decorations and pictures all around the classroom. He looked forward to it, more so because Kakashi’s image wouldn’t be joining those of his parents.

The class was dismissed and Iruka sighed. Thoughts of his wild haired lover still made his chest tight. It had been close, he knew, and he still hadn’t managed to talk to him since arriving back in the village. Iruka sighed again, walking slowly to the hospital as those thoughts swam in his head.

-o-o-o-o-o-

Kakashi’s head still hurt. His chakra pathways were telling him to sleep, his eye still ached if he tried to use it even normally. But it wasn’t all bad news – he’d managed to convince his nurse to get some things from his place. Or, more specifically, he’d convinced her to get Gai and the Magnificent Beast had courageously fetched his things. Kakashi finally had his mask again as well as a replacement hitai-ate which helped with his headache far more than the painkillers they kept feeding him. He’d also managed to convince Gai to bring him a copy of Icha Icha and several dog treats for Ikki-chan, still curled by his side.

His chakra was finally at near-normal levels again and the doctors said they felt comfortable setting his bones that night. They could have done it sooner, Kakashi knew, if he hadn’t been siphoning chakra off to metabolize the sedatives out of his system. The nurses hadn’t yet caught on that he was faking being asleep when they checked on him.

Speaking of which, someone was coming down the hall. Kakashi shut his eyes and rolled his head to the side, facing on the door. After a moment, the door slid open, a presence hovering just outside the room. The jounin fought off the frown threatening him. Then it was Iruka again, not one of the medical staff. This made the fourth time Iruka had visited and – Kakashi waited a moment, listening – took one step into the room, but then retreated, shutting the door behind him again. Kakashi sat up with a huff. This was getting ridiculous, whatever the teacher was having issue with, running away not only wouldn’t solve it, but it was getting very annoying to the copy ninja. And now that he was actually awake and with some energy, he could finally do something about it.

His hands had been braced and wrapped to protect his fingers, but there were a few seals he could use freely before the injuries were forced to heal and the braces removed. Fortunately, a simple transportation only required a simple seal. A few seconds later, Iruka was cut off as he went down the hall as his boyfriend suddenly appeared in front of him. Kakashi leaned close even before Iruka had fully stopped, trapping him against the wall.

Iruka remained stunned for a moment before he blinked rapidly at the other man. “What are you doing?” he hissed, falling back on anger to try and recover from the surprise. “You’re supposed to be sleeping!”

“I’ve been sleeping for two solid days,” Kakashi groaned. “Besides, you’re supposed to be comforting me, and you’re not doing your job, either.”

Iruka flushed suddenly scarlet and turned his head to the side. This made his gaze land on Kakashi’s wrapped hand, however, and he quickly turned his eyes to the floor.

Kakashi stepped closer, sobering quickly at the other’s reaction. “Iruka, I know what you’re trying to do and believe me when I say it won’t work. After all this, you’re scared of getting close to me again; I did the same thing when Obito died. But it doesn’t work, Iru-chan, you’re still going to hurt. Better to take the hurt without losing all the good parts, right?”

For a moment, Iruka simply stared at him, blinking owlish eyes before quickly pulling down the man’s mask, closing the distance and kissing Kakashi firmly. “I’m not doing that,” he whispered as he pulled away. “I could never do something like that, Ka-kun, you’re too much a part of my life.”

Kakashi eagerly returned the hugs and caresses the confession was bringing on, well aware that Iruka was lying through his teeth. Maybe he hadn’t been aware of it, but Kakashi recognized the avoidance easily. He knew plenty of ninja who checked on friends and companions, making sure they were safe without getting close to them, afraid of being hurt if they did. Iruka seemed earnest, though, and with some effort, Kakashi put it from his mind, convinced Iruka wouldn’t fall into that trap without even knowing.

“I’m so sorry, love. It’s just hard, I see what they did to you, and it’s my fault!”

Kakashi silenced that thought as quickly as he could, sealing the teacher’s mouth shut with his own. “If anything, it’s my fault for getting caught. For trying to scheme and letting it go on so long to try and catch the bastards-“

“They were targeting me, Kakashi.” The masked man paused, pulling back enough to catch Iruka’s once more down turned gaze. “They wanted me, to get access to the records. You got hurt because of me.”

Kakashi’s mouth twitched down in a deep scowl. So he’d been wrong, Iruka hadn’t been trying to avoid getting hurt. Subconsciously, he’d been trying to protect Kakashi from getting hurt again. That was so much worse, in a way. Quickly the taller man leaned in for another deep kiss, not pulling away until he felt the teacher sway for lack of oxygen. He leaned their foreheads together, staring with one eye into endless brown depths. “Are you going to be all right?”

Iruka hesitated, a sign that he at least recognized how much he’d been affected by all of this, but he finally nodded. “You need to go back to your room. Rest, so you can heal and come back home. I’ll be better then, I think.” Kakashi nodded, running his wrists across Iruka’s hair. If nothing else, he’d be glad to have his hands back simply so he could do this properly and feel it. “Ibiki is going to train me.”

All movement drained from Kakashi as well as what little color he had in his cheeks. He was still feeling the blood loss, and going so suddenly pale made him light headed, yet despite that he pulled away from Iruka’s support to stare at him with one wide eye. For a long moment he said nothing, looking at the solemn expression on his boyfriend’s face. Not a joke, then. And he could see why Ibiki would want to take that step . . .

Yelling and screaming were pushed from his mind in a great display of willpower. Kakashi also ignored the urge to threaten the interrogator’s life. He opened his mouth to tell Iruka that he’d be there, no matter what, to fix anything that sadist broke, but after a pause, that too was discarded as decidedly unhelpful. Very deliberately, Kakashi shifted his weight back onto Iruka and maneuvered the brunette to help him back to his room. “You aren’t ANBU material, Iru-chan,” he muttered softly.

Iruka mutely shook his head and Kakashi breathed a little sigh of relief that it hadn’t been taken as an insult. “That said,” he continued, even more cautiously, “I look forward to seeing you in action against them. I think you’ll do far better than anyone will expect.” Iruka’s lips twitched slightly in a smile and Kakashi sighed again. He couldn’t handle this stress, he was still weak!

-o-o-o-o-o-

Iruka woke with his alarm, but stayed in bed for several long minutes. He’d cleaned the entire apartment, with liberal application of bleach and strong citric cleaners. There was no trace of the imposter left, no fake-Kakashi smell in his sheets. Iruka hoped his Kakashi would be released today just so he could set smells right and wake happy.

His mood turned up slowly as Iruka stumbled out of bed and dressed for the day. Civilian clothes; he didn’t have class and it would be nice to get out of the mission mindset for a while. He left the apartment and turned towards the school, but hesitated. Talking with Kakashi had made him feel much better the previous day, and he had sort of promised to stop avoiding him. With a little grin, the teacher adjusted his course, jogging to the hospital.

Kakashi was thoroughly unconscious when Iruka let himself in through the man’s window – visiting hours wouldn’t start for another few hours. Iruka’s baby grin blossomed to fill his whole face on seeing him. He would be weak and tired for days still, but all the bandages and tubes were gone except a couple to monitor his vitals. His chakra was depleted, most of it having been used up the previous evening, but his wounds were healed. The bandages around his hands were gone and his arm was out of the sling. There were still several bits of gauze along his limbs, but it was all for cuts too minor to require specialized attention.

Iruka padded on silent feet to the bed. “Sleep well so you can get out of here, Ka-kun.” He bent, brushing one hand through messy hair, and kissed his forehead. He pulled back then, shifting to skritch behind the baby pup’s ear. The golden dog nuzzled into his hand, but it didn’t wake either. Then Iruka was dashing back through the window, hurrying off to the academy.

For a while, Iruka was alone in his classroom. He wasn’t particularly surprised and spent the time moving decorations from storage onto his desk and clearing the walls. It was still well before noon when his students started to show up; Hanabi was one of the first, and Iruka wasn’t surprised to see Konohamaru’s little gang. All told, nearly half of his class came to help, and it wasn’t long before the questions began.

“Tell us about Halloween, Sensei.”

“We get to see all the ghosts, right?”

Iruka laughed a little and shook his head. “That’s what I used to think when I was little, but no. You should all remember a little of this from last year. The last day of October is the day when lost spirits wander our world. We still can’t see them, but they visit the places and people they used to know and miss.” He pulled out a carefully woven basket, showing it to the gathered kids. “People used to put out things like this, full of fruit and meat for the spirits. If we give them something to remind them of home, then they can move on at the end of the night, instead of lingering where they might cause trouble or bad luck.”

At once small hands were reaching for the basket, filling it eagerly with plastic fruits and vegetables. Iruka smiled again, but after a moment it faded, replaced by a sense of dread. Swallowing thickly, the teacher turned to look at the window. There, in all his scarred glory, was Morino Ibiki. He frowned a little, and stalked toward Iruka. “You let me get inside kill range, but I suppose you noticed me before most chunin would.”

Once the large man had spoken, the children noticed him as well, and a dozen young gazes were darting back and forth between the two. Iruka moved quickly, stepping away from Ibiki and drawing the kids’ eyes. “Why don’t you all sort out these herbs and find out what I need to buy today.”

“I’m afraid you won’t be able to set up your rituals today, Sensei.” Iruka’s expression darkened visibly. “No school means you have your own class.”

Around him, the children looked disappointed, but there was nothing Iruka could do about it. “I’m sorry, kids. I guess I’ll have to set this up later.” He carefully put the decorations aside before forcing a smile at the little ones. “Thanks for showing up to help. Don’t worry about it, I’ll have something up for everyone to enjoy, I promise.”

Ibiki was waiting at the door and Iruka kept his smile until he’d followed the man into the hall. “Easily one of the best teachers in Konoha, Iruka-Sensei. I’m sorry to take you away from them, but I did say you’d be training during school breaks.”

“You said winter break. At the very least, don’t patronize me. I’m well aware you’ll be enjoying this.” Ibiki shrugged, but didn’t respond, silently leading the way back to the blank room Iruka had been in two days ago. Once there, Iruka paused beside the chair, looking around nervously. “What training am I doing?”

“The course that is apparently the most critical. Recent events have proven you need a lot of improvement, but your fighting is passable and your mind is probably sharper than a lot of jounin.”

Recent events? Iruka gasped, realizing what he’d messed up worst during the last week. He jerked forward, but strong arms closed around his elbows, locking his arms behind his back. Iruka looked over his shoulder at a second Ibiki, the clone just as frightening as the original. “Wait a second, Ibiki-san, what exactly are you planning!”

“You’re going through ANBU training, Sensei, you know that. You need to learn the techniques to withstand interrogation and a live demonstration is the best way to do it.” Iruka was forced into the chair while Ibiki secured him in place with some thick rope.

Iruka struggled; the fact that this man was from his village meant next to nothing when faced with the possibility of facing that man’s techniques. “Ibiki-san, wait, this won’t work!” This really had to be some sort of sick joke. “It’s not the same! I don’t know anything that you don’t know already. There’s no incentive for me not to tell you whatever it is you’ll ask and without that, there’s no way to tell if I can withstand anything!”

Ibiki frowned, a little growl coming from his throat. “Don’t work yourself up, Sensei. I won’t do any permanent damage.”

“Does Tsunade even know about this?”

The man’s frown deepened – a no. “As for the information itself, there is something that you know that I’d like to learn about.” Iruka’s eyes widened, all his arguments crumbling beneath him. Ibiki wasn’t unreasonable, but if there was something he actually wanted . . . “I’m certain you’ll fight to keep this information to yourself, so we’ll get an accurate measure of your ability. And when you do break, I’ll get more names than just Mizuki and Itsuo.”

“N-no. Ibiki, please, there must be something else.”

“You once said there were nearly thirty ninja involved, but I only know six names.”

“You can’t do this! Ibiki-“

The bigger man struck out without warning, punching the back of the chair and just grazing Iruka’s cheek, startling him into silence. “Calm down Iruka. It doesn’t matter what I want. You’re smart, and that can be a great asset, but not if you let your mind run away with you! What would you do if I told you about my plans for later with fire ants and a funnel?”

Iruka’s eyes widened a little more, a whimper coming from his throat. Ibiki sighed, grabbing the teacher by the shoulders and shaking him slightly. “Nothing, Iruka! I’ve never done anything like that, but do you see how your imagination is my weapon here?”

Iruka nodded, trying to put the strange images out of his mind. This was training after all; information aside, Ibiki was teaching him. And he knew he wouldn’t be hurt, but that most likely just meant genjutsu and illusion, Ibiki was a master of psychological torture after all. “Mizuki, Itsuo, Kakashi,” he whispered.

“What are you doing?”

“You said you had six names,” he muttered, not looking at Ibiki. “Those three are obvious, and you must know about Rinshi to know what I told him. Hotarou and Tohiro are the only others that have any official record, and wouldn’t you know, that’s six right there.”

Ibiki frowned. “Very sharp mind. You need to focus on keeping that clarity throughout anything. Let’s see how long it can last; we’ll start with something simple. Either Genma or Raidou or both were involved with you. Which one?”

Iruka looked away quickly and Ibiki sighed. “Lesson two, Sensei. Never look away, don’t close your eyes. I could do anything in the few seconds you just gave me. And don’t forget there’s at least one clone out of your field of vision. Your job is to gather information, same as mine, except for you it means knowing what may come next and being able to brace for it.”

Iruka looked back up, eyes challenging as he grew more used to the situation, but all his resolve evaporated as a pair of slim arms slipped around his chest from behind. “Sharp some days, but others . . .”

Iruka’s eyes snapped closed, breath suddenly coming much faster. It was Mizuki’s voice. “Ibiki . . . you can’t . . . this isn’t right.”

There was no response from the larger man as he slipped off to the side, out of sight. Mizuki’s hand brushed along Iruka’s jaw, making the teacher look at him. “Come on, ‘Ruka, you’re a little smarter than that. Weren’t you just told to keep your eyes open?”

-o-o-o-o-o-