Dangerously Beautiful

Chapter 13 Rekindled Kakashi peered silently into the hospital room in front of him, looking in through the wide, pane-glass window, watching as the doctors and nurses scurried between his two students. Many of the flocking doctors tried to remain by the young Uchiha's side, as his injuries were far more severe than his blonde counterpart. Deep slashes from Kisame's blade, bruises to his entire body, scrapes over his back from being dragged through the rough forest ground, not to mention his more serious injuries he most likely didn't even realize he had. Naruto, on the other hand had expelled so much of the demon fox's chakra it had ravished his body to its limits. He had a few minor scrapes and bruises, but most of all it was the exhaustive toll his powers had taken upon his small body that harmed him the most. The gray-haired Jounin sighed, glad both of his young students had passed out after their long ordeal, that at least for a short while they would not have to experience the searing pain of their injuries. The doctors continued to buzz around the two of them desperately, one nurse stationed by Sasuke's side to monitor his curse mark to make sure it did not suddenly rage out of control. For now, thankfully, it seemed to be at a standstill. The doctors made their last few checks, knowing there were other, further-injured ninjas in Konoha who needed attending to. They made a few last-minute checks over the boy's paperwork, shoving their clipboards in the front of the hospital beds and monitoring their progress for a few minutes afterwards. Kakashi felt a twinge travel up his back, feeling a presence looming next to him. He turned curiously, seeing the eldest Uchiha swing open the hospital door and walk quietler ter to his ex-boyfriend's side. Both Itachi and Kakashi remained virtually silent next to each other, the two of them staring in through the window at the young teens, the burning questions inside of the young Jounin finally overtaking him. "I'm surprised to see you here." He muttered aloud, breaking the incredibly uncomfortable silence that had cast over the two of them. The eldest Uchiha didn't bother to face the one he was answering, unsure if he would be able to hide his tears again, "My little brother is in the hospital... Shouldn't I be here?" he asked sarcastically. Kakashi turned to him, his dark eyes nearly burning a hole through the young criminal; a glare that sent chills up Itachi's spine. "You killed his entire family in cold blood and left him completely alone to take care of himself for five years. Don't pretend you care about him now." Itachi quieted. After all, he was completely right. He had single-handedly doomed his little brother, the person he had cared for the most in life, to a horrible and demeaning existence of avenging his clan. Both of them returned to the awkward silence of before, a strange, humid air encasing their bodies as they stood stagnant in the hallway. Kakashi stared through the finely-polished glass, his chest aching as he thought of what his young students were going through, though his thoughts often returned to the stark Uchiha by his side. Why had he followed him to the hospital like this? Surely he was not really concerned about his little brother's safety, or Naruto's either. The skeptical Jounin scratched his head and stared at the st yot young clansmen standing by him. The fretful doctors wiped sweat from their brows, the nurses making some last adjustments to various machinery and equipment before all of them gathered at the door. The first to step out into the hall happened to be Konoha's most well respected physician, famed mostly for risking his life on the frontlines more than twenty years ago, during the great ninja wars. He ran his fingers through his thick tuffs of brown hair and peeled the rubbed gloves off of his hands before turning to Kakashi, a somewhat grim expression on his face. Kakashi swallowed hard, wondering what kind of dreaded condition the two teens were in. The elderly doctor waved for his fellow hospital employees to head off to their assigned stations, "I trust you're their instructor?" he asked, looking at the apparent Jounin in front of him, though Kakashi was dressed as an Anbu at the moment. The gray-haired teacher nodded solemnly, Itachi remaining perfectly silent behind him, his black cloak concealing everything but his Sharingan eyes. "Well, your students went through quite a beating today." The veteran doctor began, adjusting his small pair of glasses and flipping through his clipboard, "The blonde one... Uzumaki Naruto, was it? He seems to have exhausted his chakra supply, he's got a few scrapes and bruises, but other than that-with a little bed rest and some time for his minor wounds to heal, he should be fully healed in a day or two..." Kakashi let out a relieved sigh, though he still knew the worst news was yet to come. He was not a medical doctor, but even he could tell the youngest Uchiha was in a far graver condition. Curiously and nervously he spoke up, "And..." "Yes." The doctor began, continuing his diagnosis, "The other one, Uchiha Sasuke. Well, when he came in, most of us expected the worst. Thankfully, he's much more stable than our initial prognosis had determined. His body was beaten very badly, multiple stab wounds, bruises, and some internal bleeding. His chakra was also exhausted. Most of all, the major injuries were a broken right arm and a fractured left leg. We relocated the broken bones and set them in casts, and bandaged the deep cuts. He is going to need a longer recovery time than his counterpart though." He finished, his face still appearing very grim and desolate. Perhaps that was his usual expression, though. Kakashi nodded, schinching the back of his neck, "Can I go in and visit them?" The elderly doctor smiled widely, "Of course." He said, motioning for the Jounin to enter the small hospital room. He pulled at his brown hair and held the clipboard to his chest before skirting past the two down the hall. He stopped at Itachi's side, raising a suspicious eyebrow at the somewhat familiar young man, his black hair and red eyes sending a small chill up his spine. The doctor adjusted his laboratory coat and thought nothing of his instinctive inclinations, continuing back to his station. Kakashi stepped towards the door, holding the doorknob in his hand for a few seconds, still feeling his ex boyfriend's disgusting presence looming over him from behind. Angrily he spun around, "You're not coming in, Itachi." He growled between his tightly clenched teeth, "You don't have the right to." The eldest Uchiha grumbled, who was he to tell him what rights he had or didn't have? He stood his ground, feeling the small hairs on the back of his neck stand on end as he spoke in his usual, intimidating low voice, "I have as much a right as you do..." he muttered quietly, staring down the gray-haired Jounin with intensely furious eyes. Both of them grew silent as the grave, eyes meeting eyes, their past memories running like a constantly-playing videotape in their minds. Memories of once being able to talk to each other for more than a few minutes without glaring or threatening each other, memories of a somewhat more simple time. The eldest Uchiha felt his black bangs swipe in front of his pale forehead, though his blood red eyes kept their focus solely on Kakashi's black eye, and the one that matched his own. Furiously the S Rank criminal's soft orbs narrowed, he had given him that precious gift, the gift of somewhat belonging to his family, and how did he repay him? He didn't even want to think about it. Kakashi, on the other hand, could think of nothing but how repulsive the one he had once loved appeared now. No longer could he see the young, attractive and caring teen who was only a victim of life's terrible circumstances, someone who constantly put his brother's needs before his own, now he was an emotionless tool of evil whose only goal it seemed was to return to Konoha and cause as much pain and heartache as humanly possible. Uncomfortably, the gray-haired instructor moved under Itachi's gaze, finally unable to cork his fury inside of him any longer. He bit his bottom lip before lunging at Itachi, even his Sharingan too slow to catch such a sporadic movement, clutching at his collar and slamming him into the frigid wall behind him. "You killed Sasuke's family, and tried to kidnap Naruto... Don't you claim you have as much of a right as I do." He shouted angrily, leaning so close to the young clansman's face he could feel a warm breath cascade out of his nost. A. At first, Itachi thought of what he could repel back at the Jounin, what abstract fact from their shared past he could use as an example of how uncaring and equally unfeeling he was to the banished Uchiha. Instead though, he chose to remain quiet, content in being the more mature of the two as of now. Slowly Kakashi let him down, releasing his thick, black collar and pulling the hospital door open, slamming it furiously in Itachi's flustered face. The eldest Uchiha fixed the small folds and creaseat bat bumbling idiot had caused, pulling at his shoulders before dangerously following him into the small room, knowing what sort of trouble he could be thrusting upon himself with that sort of daring action. Kakashi's eyes barely dashed to the side for a second as Itachi entered, knowing there were more important things to deal with at the moment than winning a battle with his ex lover. The young teacher pulled up a chair in between his young student's beds, wanting to see boe both of them equally. Itachi, on the other hand, edged himself into the opposite corner of the room, reaching over with his hand to close the set of blinds that hung over the wide window, nearly cutting off the only source of light in the room by doing so. The gray-haired Jounin barely noticed his old lover's habits, knowing even when the two of them were together, Itachi would always shut every window and door he could, and for no apparent reason-at least from where Kakashi stood. The young teacher wiped the forming sweat from his forehead and ran his fingers through his thick gray bangs before turning to look at the condition of his young students. He turned to see Sasuke, tubes and machines seemingly enveloping his body so he no longer looked fully human. His eyes were closed tiredly, his entire body melting into the sheets because of his paralyzed body. His black hair was matted in a thick sweat to his forehead, his right arm wrapped tightly in a thick cast-much like his left leg, not to mention the wrapped and bandaged stab wounds, from which the leaking blood could still be plainly seen. Kakashi let out a low sigh, reaching over to move some of the young Uchiha's black hair out of his face, noticing how he recoiled and hissed at the contact, even while asleep. It must have been difficult to endure the kind of horrible torture he experienced for the long time Kisame had his slimy hands on him, that every light touch Kakashi gave him resulted in a swift groan in pain. The young Jounin tried to absorb the tears that came to his coal-black eyes in his sleeve, if only to hide them for a second before more of the salty substance overrun his cheeks. Carefully, Kakashi found an unscathrea rea of the boy's skin that was not covered in bruises or cuts, running his fingers across Sasuke's pale jaw line and part of his cheek, feeling somewhat comforted when the boy curled into his touch like a sleeping kitten, letting out a small moan as his teacher's hand gently brushed against his skin. From the cornf thf the room, Itachi watched them closely, fists quickly gathering at his sides when he saw the sickening situation before him. There was a time when Kakashi used to care for him in such a way, that he would stay by his bedside long after he fell asleep just to watch the Uchiha breathe, and deliver light touches and kisses to his face. The eldest Uchiha tensed ust tst thinking about it, crossing his arms over his chest and grumbling softly. That bastard really didn't love him, if he could so easily replace him with someone else. Itachi pulled at his clothing nervously, probably the worst part about knowing Kakashi had moved on to someone else in the five years he was gone, was that he himself never could. Even if the Uchiha tried to move on with his cursed life, tried to find an adequate replacement for the Jounin, he knew it wmposmpossible to ever eliminate Kakashi from his mind all together. He shifted where he stood, his Sharingan eyes slowly running across the scene in front of him with despise. Damn that heartless bastard. Nearly everyone in the room turned curiously at the sound of one of the bedridden kids waking up slowly. Kakashi pulled his chair over to his other hospitalized student's side and grinned at the sides of his lips as Naruto stirred, rubbing at his pearl blue eyes lazily and letting out a loud yawn. "Hi, Kakashi..." he muttered, seeing his teacher leaning over his bed. Though his head hurt a little, and his body felt extremely exhausted from the recent events, seeing someone next to his bedside when he woke up put a little bit of sudden energy into him. Carefully, the young blonde pushed on the sheets with his hands to sit himself up, his blue eyes widening at who he saw standing in the corner of the room. He leaned back a bit in surprise, "I-Itachi!" Naruto's mind raced at an unbelievable speed, had Kakashi found out what had been going on between the two of them all along? He wondered if his teacher was planning to turn the both of them in for conspiracy or turning against their home country or something. He put that thought out of his head, knowing the Jounin would not do something that under-handed. He turned to his teacher, his eyes staring embarrassingly at his own hands, "So you know..." Kakashi's eyebrowseredered, "Know what?" he demanded, "What are you talking about, Naruto?" he asked angrily, his deadly glare immediately spinning over to the quiet young Uchiha who stood saliently in the corner, seemingly keeping his innocence by remaining completely quiet. Itachi grinned, so maybe his planning and plotting against the Jounin wasn't all for naught. Perhaps now he could execute his revenge. He teretered over to the blonde's bedside, pushing past Kakashi's shocked form and running his pale, slender fingers through Naruto's thick blonde spikes, "He and I have become very close lately," he whispered softly, his hand running over the young fox's tanned cheek. Naruto purred under Itachi's touches, glad to feel the comforting feeling of knowing he was cared for. He closed his blue eyes as those gentle hands ran though his hair, a wide grin on his face. His teacher scowled, "Naruto, what the Hell were you thinking associating with a vicious criminal like him?" he questioned, grabbing the young teen's wrist in his hand in an attempt to get his attention. The eldest Uchiha glared at Kakashi, his eyes void of any emotion, "I guess I'm good enough for you, but not for this boy, huh?" The humid air of the room seemed to grow thicker, uneasier as all of them quieted. The dark horizontal lines from the slanted blinds at the window cast an eerily misshapen shadow to fall over the four of them. All in all, the atmosphere in the small hospital room was suddenly incredibly unnerving. Naruto decided perhaps it would be better to change the subject, wiping his eyes and scratching at his itchy whiskers before noticing his fellow Genin laying on the stretcher next to him, "Sasuke..." he muttered, pulling his body up so he could see his young teammate better. He was badly bruised and wounded, bandages and wrappings covering most of his body, his right arm and left leg wrapped in thick castings. The blonde stared at the apparent pain on Sasuke's sleeping face, feeling a twinge on the back of his neck, "Is he going to be okay?" he asked eagerly. "He's going to be fine, Naruto. The doctor said he needs some rest, but other than that, he's going to be all right." Kakashi assured him, giving him a reassuring pat on the back. The blonde student's cheeks blushed a little as he let out a long breath, "Thank goodness..." Itachi loved the innocent attitude of the young fox, his child-like emotions and morality almost reminding him of his younger brother, back when he used to care about him as such. Today, no such emotions of love and caring seemed possible in the young criminal. Teasingly, the eldest Uchiha ran his fingers through Naruto's hair, leaning over to place a small kiss on his forehead, most likely just to see what kind of reaction he could get out of his agitated young lover. Naruto smirked, rubbing his tired eyes and letting out a second exhausted yawn, "Hey, I'm a little tired. Is if okay if I go to sleep for a while?" he questioned, already tucking himself back into his sheets and stretching his short arms up in the air. His teacher opened his mouth to answer before being interrupted by the aggressive Uchiha next to him, "Yes." Itachi answered, touching the blonde's soft, bronzed skin of his face softly as he closed his eyes and faded off into sleep. The eldest Uchiha made sure his young lover was asleep before he pushed past Kakashi to make his way to the door, his long black coat almost dragging on the cold tile on his way out. "I'm going out into the hall..." Itachi mumbled quietly, reaching for the doorknob before hearing Kakashi's lecturing, almost sarcastic voice perk up behind him. "You're not even going to check to see if your brother is all right?" The eldest Uchiha closed his dark eyes, staring at his own sandals for a long while before facing the door again, seemingly oblivious to his ex boyfriend's comments. "He's still breathing, isn't he?" he questioned rhetorically, swiping his cloak around his shoulders and slamming the door behind him as he stepped out into the hall. Kakashi hated to leave his two vulnerable students alone and injured, but he knew he couldn't take Itachi's boisterous irreverence any longer. Frustrated, he reached over to the young Uchiha who had not yet awaken since his painful torture, touching his hand and placing a light kiss on his cheek. "I'll be right back, okay?" he assured him in a whisper, knowing he probably wouldn't hear a word. Slowly he stood up from his squeaky chair, trying his best to make as little noise as possible to allow the boys to get their proper rest. He stepped lightly, tip-toeing on the tile flooring before hearing a ghastly sound behind him. The young Jounin turned to see that his blonde student was snoring, lying in an obscure position, his mouth hanging limply open. Kakashi rubbed his aching head before heading out into the hall after Itachi. He didn't have to look very far for the young S Rank criminal, who was standing in plain sight out in the hallway, running his fingers through his long black hair and leaning against the far wall. Even when he was being such a rotten bastard, he was still so breathtakingly attractive. Kakashi was almost forced to retreat back into the hospital room and lock the door behind him for fear the Uchiha's looks and demeanor would all too easily take him over. Courageously, he stepped forward, getting in Itachi's face without fear or hesitation, "You bastard. How can you be so heartless?" "Hn, I should be asking you the same thing." The young criminal returned, not backing away from the Jounin's apparent challenge, even daring to take a step forward so their faces were only parted by an inch or two of thick, uncomfortable air. "You may have forgiven yourself for what you did five years ago, but I haven't. You left a helpless child alone in such a violent and dangerous lifestyle for so many months. You kept saying you would help me, that you were truly trying your best to save me from that damn place, but you didn't..." Itachi muttered, already feeling tears coming to his eyes. He couldstanstand knowing that once again, Kakashi would see himing ing like this, would see how truly weak he was, despite all his apparent abilities. "Itachi...!" Kakashi interrupted, trying to stop what he was saying, to mask it, that he might not have to hear again and again what he had blamed himself for constantly since the young Uchiha left. Butchi chi continued on, "... And now, you don't even care enough to pretend you loved me. Instead you chose to find someone else, my own brother, and you've replaced me that easily..." The gray-haired Jounin growled, pounding his fist on the wall only a few inches slight of the Uchiha's head, keeping his knuckles firmly implanted in the thick paint and wood, "I've told you before and I'll tell you again, I'm sorry!" he shouted, both of them now tearing up at the situation. In all honesty it was very difficult to mask their emotions in front of someone who had known them so long, someone who had shared much of the important events in their lives. It was hard when they looked into each other's eyes not to see that same quality they had both fallen in love with. Itachi let out a slight chuckle, "You're not really sorry..." "Itachi! I truly cared about you, but there was nothing I could do... Back then; those who had the bloodline limit were hunted like animals. If, if I tried to take you and Sasuke away from the Uchiha house, and something were to happen to you, I don't think I would ever be able to forgive mys.." .." Kakashi broke into tears, the usual black mask he wore nowhere to be found. What he wouldn't give to be able to slap it back on his face again, to act like none of what his ex boyfriend said affected him at all. What he wouldn't give to be rid of these painful emotions. The devious S Rank criminal placed his two hands together under his cloak, quickly forming the seal to transform, his usual appearance vanishing in a loud 'pop' and a puff of smoke and small, green leaves. In his place was an exact replication of his younger brother, dressed in his usual black clothing. With Sasuke's voice he spoke up softly, "You would have helped me if I looked like this, right? You'd still care about me if I looked like this?" Seductively, Itachi used Sasuke's form to push Kakashi back against the hallway wall, wrapping his brother's small arms around his former lover's shoulders and leaning upwards, nearly standing on his toes. "Right, teacher?" He muttered in a low, though still childish voice, approaching his lips with Sasuke's own as if he was going to kiss him, suddenly turning off course and pushing Kakashi's head firmly to the side, dragging his younger brother's tongue over his teacher's cheek. His warm, saliva-slicked tongue made its way progressively up to the top of the Jounin's collarbone, the sensation nearly sending him into a frenzy before he realized how wrong what the two of them were doing was. He flustered, grabbing Itachi's shoulders and pushing him off angrily, "What the Hell are you talking about, Itachi?" he demanded, wondering why he had suddenly become so jealous of Sasuke, when the eldest Uchiha continued to claim he was no longer in lover with Kakashi anymore, that in fact-he felt just the opposite, that he hated and detested his existence. Itachi hurriedly returned to his previous form, erupting in a small cloud of smoke and muttering in a small whisper into the collar of his jacket, "You care about Sasuke now. Just that quickly you forgot entirely about me all together. You didn't even have my pictures on your nightstand anymore..." Kakashi waved his arms out in front of him, knowing everything Itachi was claiming could not be further from the truth, "That's not true! Ever since that day you told me it was my fault you endured such a life, ever since I realized I had continued to let you down everyday because I didn't understand how bad it was for you. Everyday I felt the overwhelming guilt for letting you down..." "No pain you felt could even begin to compare to the pain I felt everyday when I had to work..." Itachi returned, his amazing ability to convince anyone that something was clearly and entirely their fault once again coming into play. The Jounin's shoulders slumped at his sides. The eldest Uchiha curiously pulled at the strange lump in his cloak pocket, wondering what was in there before he reached in to grab it. The smooth porcelain texture was unmistakable. He pulled the Anbu mask out of his cape pocket and slipped his arm through the opening, offering Kakashi what was rightfully his own. "Here." Itachi muttered, holding it out and waiting for the Jounin to snatch it from his hand. Instead, Kakashi's pale hand slipped over the cold material of the mask, barely brushing against the younger man's fingers and causing the both of them to brush brightly. Hurriedly, Kakashi pulled the Anbu mask back, slipping it into the wide pockets on his pants, a little too hesitant to thank him for his supposed kindness. Itachi grumbled, staring at the ground and refusing to look up into those hypnotic eyes of Kakashi's. "Everyday I found a new way to hate you, a new excuse to put all my emotions aside and find every single thing wrong with you. But somehow, when I came back to Konoha and saw you again, all my efforts went to waste. No matter how hard I tried, when I saw you in the flesh-living and breathing, I couldn't hate you." He explained, finally admitting aloud to Kakashi and even to himself that he did not really have any despise or resentment for the Jounin, though it pretty much destroyed his sole reason for living. For up until that moment, hate for Hatake Kakashi had been the only thing driving him to survive and move on. Gently and slowly, Kakashi raised his hand to the side of Itachi's face, all of a sudden feeling the need to comfort the crying teen, to wipe the tears from his familiar face, that he might possibly see him smile once again. His fingers glided over the eldest Uchiha's soft, pale cheek, though Itachi recoiled immediately from his touches, as innocent as they were. He pulled his head further away, trying so desperately to escape those addictive hands. Kakashi continued anyway, placing his long fingers on the side of Itachi's face, finally managing to keep him in place long enough to speak with him civilly, "If there was any way I could go back, believe me Itachi, I would have gladly given up my own life to save you from that terrible existence..." Tears began to once again cascade down from Itachi's cold, deep red Sharingan eyes, dripping uncontrollably down his cheeks and fading into his coat. The young Jounin reached over to his ex lover's collar, pulling the top slightly open, so that for the first time in a long while, the eldest Uchiha's entire face was visible. Itachi hated to admit Kakashi had this much control over him, that nttertter how hard he tried to smother his old feelings for him, it was all seemingly worthless. The young clansman forced his eyelids closed, clenching his teeth tightly in his mouth, 'No, I can't give into him like this... I hate him.' The young instructor skirted his thumb over the younger man's cheek, wiping away at his warm, salty tears. 'I hate him...' 'I hate him...' 'I hate him...' Itachi continued to repeat these words in his head, hoping it would somewhat dull the extraordinary feeling of those comforting hands against his sensitive skin. Unfortunately, even if he would have said it over and over in his mind until he could think of nothing else, those false thoughts could never be as powerful as the real, true feelings that were overtaking his young body. Kakashi allowed his own eyes to flutter closed, knowing what he was about to do was probably not wise, that he would be severely punished by Itachi himself and the heavens above that controlled them both, but he couldn't help but lean forward to place a light, feathery kiss on those reluctant li The The eldest Uchiha clansman's eyes widened, his hands evolving into white-knuckled fists within the next second, his cheeks flustering a deep red tint, everything inside of him he'd taught himself, that emotions were a petty waste of time, that no one in the world could truly love someone else, and that above all, if he kept no other convictions alive, he would keep his promise to himself to never get mixed up with the Jounin again. Quicker than his eyes widened, all of effoefforts had fluttered out of the window effortlessly as Kakashi pressed his eager lips to Itachi's once again, daring even to deepen the kiss further. At first he reached for the kunai in his holster, thinking perhaps if he ended Kakashi's life, he would not be tempted to enter into it again. But he knew now he did not even have enough strength left in his body to resist a simple kiss, let alone fight with the former Anbu. Finally, Itachi decided to surrender, closing his soft, crimson eyes and kissing Kakashi back. Author's notes: Okay, I've set a record now for the latest I've stayed up to make sure my updates are on time. It is... 4:45 AM and I am so tired it's amazing. Anyway, I know this chapter is kind of important, but really it was just giving me trouble, maybe because it's chapter 13 XP. Maybe I'm just crazy. Okay, I'm going to go to sleep now, please review or maybe next time I'll chose sleep over a chapter update! ><