Tenet number one: exist.

Done and done. He existed, and they existed. It wasn't complicated, and it often was not too difficult to cope with. That wall of separation was a constant that had been in place since the first time he utilized a cloth mask to obscure half his features. It was almost ironic, how that bit of dark-colored material could create a nearly perfect shield that imperviated him from the brunt of society’s problems.

The key phrase was ‘nearly perfect.’ Cracks were present, allowing sprinters of hurt, regret, and overall weakness to seep through. Those were dealt with, but not forgotten.

Perhaps it was familiarity that allowed him to slip unnoticed past Kakashi’s mental barriers.

He saw him constantly. During mission briefings. Turning in his reports, far past their date of assignment. The occasional dinner of ramen with Naruto present. By itself, those little encounters would have meant nothing. However, the famed Copy Nin suspected that interest (dare he say, a bit of attraction?) somehow wheedled its way past his apathy. Namely during their confrontation prior to the Chuunin exams.

In accordance with his long-ingrained shinobi ways, the nin in question was scrutinized. Which wasn’t difficult, as one of the renowned Kakashi’s wards was the equally infamous loud-mouth kitsune of Konohagakure. A loud kitsune who chattered constantly about everything under the sun. Including his favorite Academy instructor.

Now, he’d been a servant to the needs of Konoha too long to lie to himself. Mere interest was an understatement. Attraction was closer to the true nature of what he was experiencing. Which then raised the question, what was the reason for his attraction?

Was it physical? Perhaps. The Chuunin wasn’t unlike his peers; physically able to handle the missions and assignments handed out by a village of warriors and fighters-in-training. Tanned skin, warm gaze, pleasant features. Could be considered somewhat feminine. Nothing extraordinary.

Mentally, the Academy teacher was a sort of an enigma to him.

Emotionally? From prior experience and observation, the Chuunin could almost be called…unstable. Shifting from passive and motherly to explosive and deadly happened in a blink of an eye (or a mischievous Naruto). In more civil terms, the young teacher was capricious. Undeniably, he was devoted. The three ninjas under Kakashi’s tutelage was testimony to that.

But truthfully, Kakashi couldn’t lie to himself about this one: analysis wouldn’t get him far. So what was the next best solution?

Approach Iruka.

‘Approach’ used very loosely.