The Trick Is Not Minding

Chapter Twenty-Four

Iruka couldn’t believe it. The last thing he ever expected was this. Kakashi had always been so concerned about hurting him, and now . . . His tears came faster. He had never felt as useless as he did right now. His most precious person had just pushed him away, but as much as he disapproved of the copy-nin’s actions the chuunin couldn’t bring himself to abandon the man he had come to care so deeply for,

He was jolted out of his self-pity by the copy-nin’s roar. He jumped up and ran out to the pool, shocked to find his lover laying in an unconscious heap with no sign of the man he had been fighting. First things first, he thought as he lifted Kakashi in his arms, carefully bringing him inside and placing him on the bed. The jounin’s eyelids fluttered and he moaned weakly. “It’s alright ‘kashi-love, I’m here.” he soothed as he gently smoothed soft strands away from his face, “I won’t leave you . . . please come back to me.” He continued to murmur soothing endearments as he quickly checked for injuries, further frustrated when he found no visible signs of why he was in such a state.

Just then the teacher realized where he had seen the man who had confronted his lover. He pulled out his phone and dialed. “Hello Ibiki, it’s Iruka. I have another problem. You know that medic who healed Kakashi in your office the other day, well he was just here and they were fighting. Now ‘kashi’s unconscious and your medic is nowhere to be found.”

“What were they fighting about Iruka?” the interrogator asked, trying to understand the situation.

“Apparently your medic admired ‘kashi’s scars and wanted to take Aoshi’s place. ‘Kashi decided to give him a taste of his own medicine. He was hurt but alive. I tried to stop it, I thought ‘kashi was going to kill him, and when I couldn’t I guess I lost it a little . . . next thing I knew the medic was gone and ‘kashi was unconscious, although I can’t find any injuries.” he stopped to take a deep breath and organize his thoughts, “You need to find your medic and make sure he’s okay, see what you can find out about what happened.”

“And what exactly are you planning on doing?” Ibiki asked, already moving to summon a team to search for Takeda Shunpei, “Do you need help?”

“I don’t know, I feel like I’m over my head here, but I don’t trust anyone else to help him and not just make it worse. I’ll call you back when I know more, right now I need to see if I can get him to talk to me.” Iruka hung up and hurried back to Kakashi.

The copy-nin was curled up in a ball, eyes shut, whimpering brokenly, tears tracking down his cheeks. The sight tore at the teacher’s heart. “Oh ‘kashi-love, it’s okay, you’re okay, I’m here.” he cooed as he pulled the jounin into his arms, wiping the tears from his cheeks and stroking his hair soothingly, “Everything is going to be fine if you just come back to me, please beloved.”

Kakashi was in agony. Every nerve in his body was on fire, he couldn’t move, couldn’t escape the wicked voice of his nightmares reminding him endlessly why he deserved this. “Willful bitch, disobedient slut, uppity whore, weak, cowardly, useless waste of air, no one but me will ever want you, trust you, just like your father, so very weak.” He moaned and begged, crying out that he wasn’t weak . . . but the whisper just became louder and more insistent the more he pleaded. He couldn’t do this anymore, wanted to give up and just die because he was weak, so weak. “And cruel,” the voice of his torturer supplied, “you learned well at my feet pet, you show potential.”

At that he began to thrash and flail, whimpering his protests as the helpless chuunin tried to get through to him, softly whispering all sorts of sweet endearments, hoping to settle the restless jounin at least. Suddenly the copy-nin let out a shriek of pure fear that turned the teacher’s blood cold. Iruka could only watch helplessly as his lover began to mumble “No, want to stay with ‘ruka, please, I’ll be good, I promise . . . don’t want to stay here, please . . . can I go home.”

The teacher realized that he needed to get through to Kakashi now, before he slipped further away. He held the jounin close and stroked his hair, laying kisses all over his face as he loudly entreated him to come back, please. “I love you ‘kashi,” he begged, “love you forever, you promised you’d stay with me, please, come back to me . . . I can’t live without you anymore. Try for me, please, try to come back to me, I need you.”

He was trying to find a place to hide. The voice was getting closer and he had to hide now, before it found him. Kakashi wandered the bleak corridors of his own mind, searching for safety and solace . . . and finding none. His life had not allowed him any such comforts. He doubled back, hoping to dodge his seeker and find his way out of wherever this was. He stopped for a moment. Wait, that was a different voice, he realized as he heard his name being called frantically. He headed in the direction of the new voice, not sure why it felt safe.

Iruka, it’s Iruka, he thought and sped up to find the chuunin. Then he slowed to a stop. Wait, he mused, this has to be a trick, ‘ruka left me, I disappointed him. That thought had him dropping to the floor and hugging his knees to his chest. I can’t go back, he doesn’t want me anymore, I made him angry, oh god I’m so stupid, he continued to berate himself for throwing away the only good thing he’d ever had. Then the voice intruded once again.

“‘kashi I’m so sorry, I wouldn’t leave you, I couldn’t ever leave you, I shouldn’t have judged you, please, come home to me, please.” Iruka faded into sobs, he didn’t seem to be making any progress getting through to the man in his arms and he was getting frantic.

He’s crying, the copy-nin realized, he’s crying for me. With that realization he felt like he was rushing towards the teacher at top speed, then his eyes flew open on the man he was searching for. “‘Ruka,” he croaked through a throat that felt like broken glass, “I’m here, I’m sorry I hurt you . . . forgive me please, don’t send me away.”
“Oh ‘kashi,” the chuunin exclaimed as he studied the copy-nin’s face, “I will never send you away, I promise, I love you.” he admitted, a blush rising to his cheeks. “What happened, are you okay, do you need anything?” he continued as he began to lay soft kisses on the jounin’s forehead.

“I’m not sure, but I know I wouldn’t have gotten back here without you.” the jounin replied slowly, “And as far as needing anything . . . all I need is you. Please love me ‘ruka, show me how good it can be, please, I need you.” he begged as he locked their lips in a passionate kiss, fumbling with the drawstring on the chuunin’s pants.

Iruka couldn’t resist the invitation, not after almost losing this vision in his arms, especially when that sweet mouth locked with his. He returned the kiss with a fervor, coaxing the jounin to stretch out on the bed. The teacher rested his weight on one arm and began to gently caress the copy-nin with his other hand, mouth breaking away to follow the path across the heavily scarred chest and over taut abdominal muscles.

Desperately needing to prove to the copy-nin how much he was truly loved, Iruka took his cock in his hot mouth, swallowing it to the root and making the jounin groan and bury his hands in the teacher’s hair. He quickly began to stretch his passage, readying it for his rapidly hardening erection. As soon as he had three fingers inside, Kakashi began to squirm and pant, telling the chuunin he was ready.

Iruka locked their lips in a feverish kiss as he slowly slid in to the hilt, breaking away to whisper fiercely “I’m never letting go of you, never, get that through your head, I won’t leave you . . . and if you leave me I’ll die. You’re stuck with me forever.”

The copy-nin moaned in response, and the teacher lifted long muscular legs onto his shoulders and started to move. This was no gentle coupling, no gradual progression. Iruka felt like he was conducting lightning, his whole body electrified as he slammed into the jounin again and again. Kakashi was in heaven, he had another chance and he was reveling in it. Each thrust against his prostate sent him higher and higher, robbing him of the ability to speak. He moaned incoherently as they chased their release.

Iruka came with a roar of the copy-nin’s name, shooting his seed hard against the jounin’s prostate and triggering his own release. The teacher leaned down and kissed his lover again, but this kiss was soft and loving, seeking to communicate all that he felt without words.

Finally Kakashi broke the comfortable silence that stretched between them. “‘Ruka, did you mean it?” he quietly asked.

“Mean what?” The chuunin wondered.

“Forever . . . did you mean it?” He asked again.

“In so far as it’s in my power, yes. I can’t guarantee anything except I will never willingly leave you. I want forever with you more than anything.” he earnestly replied, “Why, is it too much . . . I don’t want to push you, whatever you can handle I’m willing to give.”

“No,” Kakashi replied just as seriously, “I want that too. Before when I . . . I realized that the only good thing in my life is you . . . before I heard your voice I had given up, but when I realized you were calling me . . . all I could think of was getting back to you.”

“Oh ‘kashi,” the teacher looked up at him with tears in his eyes “that’s all I wanted too.” They stayed like that for a long time, held firm in each other’s embrace, glad they had weathered this most recent storm.