Embracing Dreams

To everyone bored to death by this long-winded fic: Stop reading it.
Just because I post a new chapter doesn't mean you have to read it.
Take off the story alert and you'll never even know when I update.

Warnings: shounen ai, humor, fluff, dash of smut, KakaIru, SasuNaruSasu

Part 26

Iruka flinched when the door of his office opened. He didn't look up to watch Kakashi slip inside, didn't let a hint of his distress into his voice as continued negotiating with the man on the other end of the line, but he did give a rather spectacular blush, judging from the heat radiating off his face. He'd get a deadbolt for that door before the day was out, he swore he would.

"I don't care about the paperwork," he said into the telephone. "That's not an issue. If they want to have a probation officer here do periodic checks on him, I'm more than willing to cooperate. Whatever it takes to-"

"We're talking years," the man on the other end reminded him, sounding peevish and put upon.

Iruka's eyes narrowed and for the moment he successfully pushed all thoughts of Kakashi out of his head, "I wouldn't have contacted you if I weren't prepared to make a commitment. I know every aspect of his case. I've personally spoken to three of the psychiatrists who examined him. None of them saw any reason to deny my request. Even if something should happen, you wouldn't be held at all accountable."

"I'm his legal guardian-"

"Appointed by the state," Iruka snapped. "Temporary custody pending trial. It didn't go to trial. It never will. You're hedging. What do you want?" The response was immediate and cold. He knew now why the man had refused to give Kurenai his answer. She'd have exploded, thereby ending any negotiations. Iruka felt his stomach churn at the sum. It never ceased to amaze him how utterly disgusting people could be where mutants were concerned. "That's too much. He won't come into anything until he's seventeen."

"I can wait."

"He has to agree to it," Iruka reminded him. "I can't promise anything that's not mine to-"

"He already has. What you have to do is notarize it."

Iruka gave a hollow nod. He should have expected that. It had been about the money from the start. Much more money than he'd ever be able to give if the boy decided not to make good on his promise once he came of age. Sickening. "When?"

"Monday."

"I need to speak with him first," Iruka started. Not surprisingly, he was immediately cut off.

"The two of you can speak as much as you want once he's yours."

He didn't wait for the click as the connection was broken. He hung up the phone, one hand already rubbing his temple. A moment passed, stretching longer and quieter, till he sighed. Still, he didn't look up.

"Now isn't a good time," Iruka muttered.

"I gathered," Kakashi drawled. "So you don't just taken in and rescue children, you buy them as well?"

Iruka snapped him a sharp glare, "There are extenuating circumstances. It isn't-"

"Nevermind," waved Kakashi. "It's none of my business how you choose to populate your little house of mutants. I'm much more interested in continuing our previous discussion."

The blush came back, mindless to his own dark mood, along with the thought that they hadn't actually been 'discussing' anything when he'd bolted earlier. Damn the man for being so persistent. He couldn't deal with all of this. Too much was happening so quickly he felt ragged and stretched and it was no wonder he'd snapped and made a fool of himself, tossing aside all the rationalizations he'd spent half the morning settling on.

Kakashi had snagged him the second he left Sasuke's room, catching hold of his wrist and all but dragging him down the hall and into his own bedroom. Iruka had naturally jumped to the wrong conclusion. The fact that Kakashi's first move, after pushing Iruka toward the center of his room and blocking the door and thus the escape route, was to take off his shirt, hadn't dissuaded Iruka's first assumption. He'd gone bright red with anger as well as embarrassment, fully prepared to physically hurt the man if he tried anything. And then he'd seen the bandages on Kakashi's chest. He'd calmed down considerably after that, enough so that he'd listened patiently to Kakashi's side of the recent 'sparring' event that had left both him and Sasuke injured.

Well, he supposed there had been some discussion involved. He'd certainly been alarmed to learn that Kyuubi was now somehow capable of assuming full control of Naruto. That should have kept him sufficiently distracted from the muscular and rather attractive chest he'd been running his hands over. His blush burned darker, almost painfully so, until he wondered desperately if he might suffer a brain aneurism and not have to look at Kakashi for the rest of his life.

Iruka dropped his head into his hands, relishing in how cool they were against his face. "I can't apologize enough," he mumbled into his wrists. "It was a slip, momentary insanity, it will never happen again, please go away."

"But I want it to happen again," Kakashi grinned.

He was enjoying Iruka's mortification almost as much as he had the surprisingly violent response he'd gotten earlier. He'd conned Iruka into his room with solid intentions. Put him on guard with the location and the privacy, calm and distract him with the wound and the startling information, lure him with the sexiness that was Hatake Kakashi's bare heated skin, and then steal a few kisses before the skittish teacher-type came to his senses. He'd been happily surprised to find himself shoved up against his own bedroom door the moment he'd leaned down to steal one of those kisses. He'd barely touched Iruka's lips and then his head was striking the door, a tongue was in his mouth, hands digging into his freshly healed chest, and a very interested body pushing hard against his own. And here he'd thought he was getting frustrated from going without.

"When's the last time you got laid?" asked Kakashi.

A low groan filtered from around Iruka's wrists, "Please go away..."

"I'm concerned, is all. So much frustration can drive a man crazy. It's only natural that you'd snap, and the next person to kiss you might not be strong enough to survive your...rather lusty response."

Iruka's head snapped up, "Kakashi-" He was alarmed to find him standing right beside him, one arm braced on the edge of his desk, the other curled comfortably on the back of his chair. He hadn't heard him move. How could have gotten so close in a matter of seconds? Why did he wear that mask when he had such a handsome face? "Kakashi..."

"You're fit to explode," Kakashi drawled, slowly, very aware of the way Iruka's eyes latched onto his lips, "and not just in the sexual sense. Think of how good it will feel to have some relief from at least part of what's stressing you."

"I'm not doing this." Iruka was surprised how firmly that came out. He felt as if he were a few seconds shy of lunging for that mouth and to hell with the consequences. "It will complicate things."

"How?"

"Naruto," said Iruka. He could feel the part of him that wanted to tackle Kakashi to floor and ravage him slinking back like a whipped dog.

Kakashi's lips pulled into a strange smile, "Naruto. The Naruto who's been in Sasuke's bedroom every night since I caught them making out on your roof? The Naruto whose fox all but gave me permission to do anything save force myself on you? You're worried about being judged by that Naruto? I didn't think he was that much of a hypocrite."

"That's different," Iruka said, and it sounded weak even to him. Were they having sex already? They couldn't be. Sasuke was too damaged, Kyuubi too dangerous, and Naruto... He winced, turning his head away from Kakashi. Naruto was much older than he'd been. He had no place criticizing him. But he didn't want to see him get hurt and if he left him to muddle through it on his own, he would get hurt. It was inevitable. It was part of growing up. "I'm the adult. I have responsibilities."

"Yes," Kakashi agreed, "you do have responsibilities. And one of them is to stay sane so you can handle the kids in your care. Losing your temper with a dog and beating yourself up over some teenage experimentation are not the actions of a calm and rational caretaker."

A wry smile tugged at Iruka's mouth, though he kept his face averted so Kakashi wouldn't see. "You really think sexual frustration is the cause of my stress?"

"No, I think relieving your sexual frustration will ease enough of your stress so you can handle the rest without losing it."

Iruka turned a slow look on the man still leaning over his chair. He arched an eyebrow, his expression one of amused disdain. "You're hardly the only one offering his services to me. What makes you think I'd choose to relieve my frustration with you?"

"Because you like my nipples."

Iruka choked, snorted, sputtered for a second, and then broke into laughter. It felt good to laugh so he didn't try to hold it back. Kakashi's expression was so matter of fact, as if that were the most logical reason in the world. And he was right.

"You have a nipple fetish," Kakashi stated, with a knowing smirk. "You couldn't keep your hands off them."

With a carefully serious tone, Iruka said, "I'd rather have had my mouth on them." One look at Kakashi's expression and he fell to snickering again. He looked so shocked. And eager.

"In that case-"

"No!" Iruka said quickly, throwing a hand out to catch Kakashi's wrist before he could tug his shirt up. He grinned at the blatant disappointment that flashed over his face. "I was kidding. Well, not really, but I didn't mean I would actually do it. Kakashi-san, while I do appreciate-"

Kakashi interrupted him with a sullen, "Just Kakashi. No one whose tongue has been in my mouth is allowed to call me 'san'. It's a rule."

The blush was back, along with the desperate need to stare at Kakashi's lips. Iruka fought them both. "Just while Naruto isn't around," he conceded. Then he took a breath and resumed where he'd left off, "Kakashi, I do appreciate your stance. And it's fairly obvious that I am interested. There's no point denying that. But I don't have causal flings. I can't. Momentary relief isn't worth it. I'm sorry." More sorry for himself than for Kakashi, but Kakashi didn't need to know that.

"Define fling," Kakashi frowned. If it was just a matter of keeping in touch, well, he could handle that. It was interesting enough around here to excuse coming back once in a while.

"When are you leaving?" Iruka returned. "You could be gone tomorrow and anything that happens here after you're gone won't have any effect on you. I have to stay here. If Naruto gets upset, the issue of hypocrisy aside, then I'm the one who has to deal with it. If any of the other kids take offense, then it's on my head. I have to consider the consequences of my actions."

Kakashi dismissed all of that with a shake of his head. "It's still just Naruto. All it comes down to is that you need the permission of your kid to have sex with someone." Iruka scowled, and he raised a hand to forestall whatever he was about to say. "I get it. You want these brats to like you and you're afraid that if they find out you slept with me, it'll ruin their good opinion of you."

"That's not-"

"So," Kakashi spoke over him, "all I have to do is get their permission. If they don't have a problem with it, you won't have one. Right?"

Iruka pursed his lips, a nasty resentment swelling up at how petty Kakashi made his reasoning sound. "What are you going to do, ask them if it's okay for you to sleep with me?"

"Yes."

It wasn't until Kakashi made it to the door of his office, mask pulled in place over a determined face, that Iruka realized he was dead serious. He bolted out of his chair, "Kakashi! Don't you dare!"

The telephone rang before he could make it out of the office and he turned on his heel. It could be an important call. And Kakashi couldn't really be serious. No one was that insane. He bit his lip and rushed to answer the phone. He'd get rid of whoever it was as quickly as possible and then chase after Kakashi.

.-.

There was a nice finish on the floor that kept the blood from seeping into the wood. Sasuke had taken his damp shirt to the smeared handprint the moment he got back upstairs. It came out after a bit of scrubbing, even without soap or a proper brush. He was debating on what to do with the shirt when someone knocked on his door. He stuffed it back into his bag, stowing both in the closet. He'd rinse it out later.

The knocks had been quiet enough that he was expecting to find Iruka standing there. He was naturally thrown to see Naruto instead. A sick tightness spread over his throat and he had to cough before he could speak. "Since when do you knock?"

"Can I come in?" Naruto asked quietly.

Sasuke's eyebrows jerked upward at the tone and the question. "Since when do you ask?" He stepped aside, watching him cross over to lean on the desk. He shut the door. Then he went over to sit on the edge of his bed. Naruto wasn't looking at him and he had no idea what he was supposed to say to him.

"I'm sorry," said Naruto.

That tightness came back, along with a pointless surge of anger. Sasuke glared at him. He was just standing there, arms folded, head down, a dejected look pulling his face. Why the hell was Naruto apologizing to him? Yes, Naruto was mostly to blame for what had happened. There was no doubt about that. He'd refused and instead of accepting it, Naruto and that fox of his had tricked him and then forced the issue. His own fight or flight impulse wouldn't have been triggered if Naruto didn't always have to get his way, usually by throwing his weight around in a physical confrontation. He'd considered all of that during his brief brooding session on the rock outside. But the fact remained that what Naruto had done wouldn't have killed him, hadn't even been meant to hurt him. What he'd done should have killed Naruto.

"Don't apologize to me," Sasuke muttered. "You'll do it again and next time I will end up killing you. If you want to apologize to someone, apologize to Iruka-san for being suicidal enough to insist I stay here."

Naruto jerked upright, his eyes flashing, "It won't happen again."

There was no point arguing with him. Sasuke sufficed with a pointed stare.

"And you have to stay," Naruto said. "You don't have anywhere else to go. That's why you came here. Right...?"

"Yes," Sasuke admitted. Though that wasn't precisely true. He had everywhere to go. He could go anywhere except Japan. He just didn't have a place that would be waiting for him when he got there.

Naruto gave a slow nod. He came over to sit on the floor right in front of him. Sasuke stared down at him, a strange annoyance flickering onto his face. Naruto was sitting down there as if he were trying to make himself smaller. That dejected look was gone from his face, replaced by the stubborn determination he'd come to expect from him. But there was a hesitance about him that Sasuke found incredibly insulting. Naruto was acting as if he might bolt if he got too close. Sasuke could only stand a few seconds of it before he snapped.

He leaned over to grab Naruto's arm and pulled him up. "Sit beside me, moron," he growled. "I'm not talking down at you."

Naruto scowled, fidgeting on the bed. "I'm trying not to push. The whole thing happened because I pushed, and I'm not gonna let it happen again. Not because of something I did."

"Why are you blaming yourself?" asked Sasuke. He'd blamed Naruto for instigating it, but that didn't absolve him of what he'd done in return. He hadn't expected Naruto to accept that he was partly to blame, let alone try to take all of the blame. If anything, he'd expected Naruto to be angry and resentful, holding a grudge, possibly guilt tripping him into standing down the next time they clashed. He shook his head, "I thought I hurt your feelings."

That got a sharp reaction from Naruto. He tensed up, his eyes flashing again, his features pulled into an angry frown. "Kyuubi lies. He lied about that and he lied to me about how much it would hurt you. He said it would only take a minute, that it wouldn't hurt any more than when it broke the first time - and then it would be fine. He really didn't know whether it would work at all. He was experimenting on you. But he told me he knew what he was doing. He's-" Naruto took a sharp breath, his face twisting tighter. "I don't know what to do about him," he admitted in a quiet voice. "It all sounded so reasonable, simple, quick, and now - now...I think half the reason he wanted to do it was so you'd react the way you did. To prove his point."

"What point?"

"That you're dangerous," Naruto frowned. His hand rubbed at the spot where he'd been stabbed, and an uncomfortable blush started over his face. He dropped his eyes. "You scared the hell out of me. I thought I was dead, I really did. I've never felt anything like - I can't believe how much it hurt. And I couldn't believe that you did that. That I hurt you - or scared you - enough to make you do that. It was - well, I'm gonna have nightmares about that..."

He wasn't the only one, Sasuke thought morosely. "I'm sorry."

"No," Naruto said, "just..." He scooted further on the bed so he could turn to face him properly. "Why did you do it?"

Sasuke stared at the door across the way, debating on what explanation would suffice, and what exactly Naruto was asking. He frowned. "I didn't mean to."

"I know that," Naruto scoffed. "You looked like you didn't even know who I was afterward, let alone what you'd done. I mean, what set you off? Because it hurt? Or...because you couldn't get free?"

Sasuke rounded with a pinched frown, "Does it matter which it was?"

"Yes," Naruto said sharply.

"Why?"

"Because he was the one hurting you and I was the one holding on." Naruto's face twisted, "And because I need to know what caused it so I can make sure it doesn't happen again."

"Naruto," Sasuke sighed, "it was both. It was the combination of the two and the fact that our energies aren't compatible. What you were doing was forcing your energy into my arm. You can't see energy, but I can show you what I mean." He activated his sharingan and lifted his right arm. He placed his hand a few inches above his wrist, "This is where my energy normally is unless I'm using it for something." He moved his hand upward past his elbow, the palm falling closer until it was almost touching his arm, right where the break had been. "This is where my energy is now, here, because yours...did something to mine. Mine isn't there anymore. Instead there's this," and he lifted his palm five inches above his arm, "orange stuff of yours sticking to me." His face pulled with distaste. "It's thicker than mine, I can't use it, it's not merging, it's just...there. The rest of my energy is compensating, but that orange is getting in the way."

"Kyuubi said that was to heal the break," Naruto said, in a small, uncertain voice. "Did he lie about that, too?"

"No," Sasuke frowned. "It healed the break. But in order to do that, it burned off my own energy at that spot. He probably did the same thing when he scratched me on the roof. Kakashi said he saw orange on the back of my neck. It was minor and it only took a second, so with everything else going on, I didn't notice. This, I felt." He dropped his arms and his eyes. "The second it burned off enough of my energy to heal the break, the sharingan faltered and I felt everything. I panicked."

"Then it really hurt..."

Sasuke grimaced, "I could have handled it if it hadn't lasted so long. You're too stubborn." And he sent a seething look at Naruto, "I was very close to cutting off your arm to get free. If you ever try that again, that's the first thing I'll do. Then you won't have to worry about me snapping and killing you. You'll bleed to death before you have the chance to push me that far."

"That's reassuring," Naruto snorted, glowering right back. "You know, I admit it's my fault for pushing, but you're just as stubborn as I am. When you say no to something it's like, there's no point arguing about it, forget compromising or talking it out. If I didn't push, I'd never get my way about anything with you."

"That's because your way is usually wrong," Sasuke sniffed, "just like it was this time."

Naruto gaped in disbelief, "Do you know how conceited that is? You're not always right."

"When have I been wrong?" There was a long minute of silence, during which Sasuke allowed a faint smirk onto his face. Then Naruto jumped, literally shaking the bed and almost hitting him in the face with his pointing finger.

"The bathroom!" Naruto said. "I said if you went in alone you'd pass out and bleed to death on the floor and you passed out just like I said. If I hadn't been there you'd at least have ended up sleeping on the floor a few hours, even if you'd managed to bandage yourself before you passed out."

Sasuke didn't bother to respond. He was still convinced that fighting Naruto over the bathroom door had complicated his injury more than patching it up himself would have. For all he knew, he wouldn't have passed out at all if he hadn't participating in a wrestling match over the door when his side was still bleeding freely. Instead of pointing that out, and getting into another argument about which neither of them would concede, he let out a long sigh. He waved a hand at Naruto's stomach. "Can I see?"

Naruto's eyes widened, a surprised and pleased look taking over his face. As if he hadn't expected him to care about whether the wound had healed completely. Sasuke again wondered what sort of impression he was giving people. Iruka had been surprised that he'd show gratitude. Naruto was surprised that he'd show concern. Did he really come off as being that cold?

"It's completely healed," said Naruto. He pulled his shirt up, running the fingers of one hand over the spot. "It doesn't hurt or anything. You can't even tell anything happened. Except Kyuubi's deader than I've ever seen him. I kicked him around a little after I calmed down, for lying to me like that, and he didn't even flick a tail at me. He didn't even make it back to my room after washing up." He frowned suddenly, "And he was exaggerating about that, you know. I'm not so afraid of blood that I can't even clean myself up on my own. I don't like blood, especially having other people's blood on me, but I'm not afraid of it."

"Okay," Sasuke said. As if he actually believed that. Kyuubi wasn't the only one who lied about things. He'd believe that Naruto wasn't afraid of blood the moment he started believing he really hadn't hurt Naruto's feelings when he'd tried to leave earlier.

"Can I see yours?"

For a second he had no idea what Naruto was talking about. When he realized, he was bombarded with memories of the bathroom patch-up session, the sparring rule about injuries, and the very humiliating moment in Kakashi's room when he'd removed his shirt. He couldn't help the nasty glare that claimed his face. It was instinctive. "Mine?"

"Where Kyuubi scratched you," Naruto frowned.

"It's fine. I shielded when he did it, and I was already moving out of range."

Naruto's eyes narrowed, "If you say it's fine, that means it's pretty bad. Don't bother denying it. I had blood under my fingernails, Sasuke. Your blood."

There was no logical reason why that statement should strike him as an accusation, let alone make him feel guilty. It did both and Sasuke didn't appreciate it one bit. Arms folding over his chest, as much to keep his shirt on as to prove it didn't hurt, he glowered. "You're not healing it. It doesn't have any of your orange on it and I'd like to keep it that way. I'm not having Iruka-san do it, either. He'd want to know how it happened and I have no intention of mentioning this to him."

With a begrudging nod, Naruto sighed. "He'd throw a fit. But I still wanna see it. Kyuubi did that and I want it to be the first memory of mine he sees when he wakes up."

Sasuke's upper lip curled, "Why? So he can gloat?"

"No," Naruto scowled, "so he'll know exactly why I'm not speaking to him."

He didn't like having to stand up for Naruto's fox. It left a bad taste in his mouth. Unfortunately it seemed Naruto hadn't learned anything from their messed up encounter after all. Sasuke stared at him, "He was defending himself, defending you. I was trying to kill you. Did you forget?"

"Of course not. That's not what I meant. He lied to me. I got your blood on my hands because he lied to me."

He wondered which bothered Naruto more, the blood or the lie. But he thought he already knew. "Why does blood upset you so much?"

Naruto dropped his eyes and fidgetted with the blanket.

"Nevermind," Sasuke said. "It's none of my business."

"No," Naruto muttered, still staring at the blanket, "it is. It really is. Kyuubi is...dangerous. Can be, anyway. When I was little something happened and he woke up to defend me. He killed people." He looked up quickly, though he didn't quite look at Sasuke. "I don't remember any of that. He went back to sleep after that, for a few years. When he woke up again we didn't get along. At all. We fought a lot and his talents were really iffy. Anyway, we were arguing and it got out of hand and Iruka-sensei was there and...we scratched him. It wasn't a serious injury, I mean, he healed himself, and it was an accident, but it was...disturbing. It got on me and it was warm and I did that. Kyuubi and I did. I think that's why. It's not blood, it's other people's blood, especially people I care about. Iruka-sensei says it might have to do with those people Kyuubi killed, but I think it was him, what we did to him. It shouldn't have happened. Like this shouldn't have happened."

"What did they do to you? The people Kyuubi killed."

"I don't know. He doesn't remember, either."

Sasuke really doubted that. One of them was lying. He suspected it was the fox. "If we fight each other seriously, you'll get my blood on you eventually. Can you handle that?"

"It's different in a fight," said Naruto. "Besides, you'll probably have more of mine than I will of yours." And he made a sour expression to show just what he thought of that.

"Not probably," Sasuke smirked, "definitely."

"Conceited..." Naruto let out a soft snort, then tilted his head. "So. Can I see?"

"Not right now," said Sasuke. Naruto's lips pulled into a pout, and he leaned over, pressing a soft kiss on them. "I'm sorry."

Blue eyes widened, confused at first, then sad, "Yeah, me, too. Are we okay, then?"

"I guess." He leaned over for another kiss. This time Naruto met him halfway. He thought if he were anyone else, he'd have hugged Naruto rather than kiss him, maybe run his hands over his hair. Well, he could still pet his hair. It was thick and soft, and there was nothing awkward about that. Naruto hugged him instead, warm and tight. He did his best not to tense up too much. This wasn't like being hugged out of sympathy or pity, it was just Naruto. And the fox was comatose.

He pressed into Naruto's embrace, trailing a kiss along his jaw until he could murmur directly into his ear, "Are you the one who bit me the other night?" He swore he could feel Naruto's blush heat against his cheek. He certainly felt him give a little jump.

Naruto mumbled guiltily, "It was kinda both of us..."

"Don't bite me this time," he said, and then nuzzled his neck, feeling his way along. Naruto tilted his head to give him better access. He didn't abuse the trust with nips of teeth, which he still equated to threat, though he did taste him liberally. Naruto's heart was racing, he could feel the pulse under his tongue, very much alive, none the worse physically for what had happened.

Hands clutched at the small of his back, fingers unerringly slipping under the hem of his shirt to rub his skin. He shivered, almost scowling at the ticklish sensation. He had an idea that if he glanced up right now, he'd find Naruto smirking at him. He didn't glance up. He pulled back instead, pushing on Naruto's chest. He was almost impressed at how easily Naruto let himself fall back on the bed. Those tickling fingers slid free to find new purchase on his shoulders, and then in his hair. It wasn't until he pushed up Naruto's shirt and bent to place a light kiss on his unblemished stomach, that Naruto protested. And it was more of a choked gasp than an outright complaint.

"Sasuke!" Naruto yelped quietly. He pushed himself up on his elbow, a startled, panicky blush taking over his face. This was a little too close to one of his favorite fantasies. Or rather, not quite close enough. There was no way Sasuke was working his way down to that, and he thought the disappointment might kill him. That hot tongue flicked out, swirling his navel, dipping in, and that was all he could take. His voice hitched up to embarrassing soprano levels," Sasuke, stop..."

It never occurred to Sasuke that Naruto didn't really want him to stop. He pulled away immediately, rising and scooting back so there was no contact between them at all, save those hands still buried in his hair. Now embarrassment slipped onto his face, along with a small dose of guilt. He supposed he would have reacted the same way as Naruto, if not worse. What he'd been doing was more intimate than anything they'd done so far, and he certainly hadn't gotten permission to do it. Was he going to have to apologize to him again?

He sighed, not quite looking at Naruto. "No good?"

Naruto shook his head violently, "Too good." Almost enough to require him to change his clothing a second time this afternoon. He scrambled to his knees and pulled Sasuke to him. He couldn't get him to meet his eyes, but he did meet his lips in a kiss that was every bit as unabashed and arousing as what he'd been doing to his skin. Suddenly the idea that Sasuke might do that didn't seem so impossible, not wishful fantasy, but something he could actually look forward to. Just the possibility made him groan and push deeper into Sasuke's mouth. Arms curled around him, pulling him closer still.

Those hands slipped under Sasuke's shirt again, this time pressing too hard to tickle. He could almost see the way they were digging into his skin. Not that he minded, considering he wasn't exactly being gentle to Naruto's back. Naruto was kissing him, pressing into him as if he couldn't get close enough. Intoxicating, feverish, and he suddenly understood why Naruto had asked him to stop. Much more of this and it would be acutely painful to have to stop. He was almost relieved when they were interrupted by a strident knocking at his door.

Sasuke pushed away first, straightening his clothes and licking his lips. His lips felt swollen, tender. He hoped it wasn't visible. Naruto looked disheveled enough for the both of them. He paused for a moment to appreciate the healthy flush on the blonde's frustrated face. "Here," he said, amused, and he leaned down to tug Naruto's shirt back into place. Naruto gave him a faint glower as thanks, then flitted from the bed to the chair, as if anyone knocking would be fooled into believing he'd gotten that aroused flush simply from talking.

He was glad he'd taken the moment to straighten himself up. Iruka was at the door, looking harried and worried, but happily too distracted to notice that both of them were more peaked than usual. He nodded at Sasuke and barely spared a glance for Naruto.

"There's a telephone call for you," said Iruka. "He said it was an emergency. You can take it my office," and he turned to lead the way.

Sasuke was completely thrown, enough so that he stood frozen in the doorway until Naruto dropped a hand on his shoulder. He jumped at the contact. Then he sent a quick wincing look at Naruto, not quite an apology, but as close as he could manage. He shook his head and followed Iruka down the hall. No one who knew him should have this number. Iruka let him into his office, shutting the door behind him. Sasuke was glad he had. Naruto might have followed and pressed his way in to eavesdrop if Sasuke were the one who'd tried to close the door in his face.

He lifted the phone with a cold wariness that didn't show in his voice, "Hello?"

"The sharks are circling the lifeboat," a fuzzy voice whispered eerily.

A beat, and then Sasuke's eyebrow twitched. "What?"

"The crows are coming home to roost."

"Who is this?" Sasuke demanded, annoyance breaking over his face.

"Damn, you're thick," the voice exclaimed, that fuzziness exchanged for a familiar twang and a good dose of exasperation. When he spoke again, it was in very clear and clipped words, "Itachi has left Japan."

He went cold, numb, and then came confusion and exasperation of his own. Why was he warning him? "When?"

"Not sure. No one's seen him for a month now, Kisame, either. There's been a lot of people looking for him lately. I wasn't sure he'd left till one of his regulars got knocked off last week."

"Why are you telling me?" asked Sasuke.

"Cause we're friends! Thought you'd like a little heads up."

He wasn't at all amused by the conniving, almost playful tone. "We're not friends, Suigetsu."

"Oh, come on," came the wheedling response, "you're not still holding a grudge over that, are you? It was four years ago!"

Sasuke's eye twitched again, "You stabbed me in the back."

"Only 'cause you'd have killed me if I tried attacking head on!"

"While I was asleep."

"'Cause I'd never have gotten behind you if you'd been awake! Come on, it's not like I wanted to do it. What was I supposed to say? Sorry, 'tachi, old buddy, but your little brother and me are friends, so I'm gonna have to say no. Go ahead and kill me. Psh, I never liked you that much. Besides, it's not my fault you got trouble with water-based talents. I went easy on you. Hell, I even gave you CPR when you drowned, so-"

"How did you get this number?" Sasuke cut in.

There was a slight pause, long enough for a sly smirk, if Sasuke's guess was right, "Itachi's not the only one with connections, you know. I get around."

"Who?"

"Kabuto."

Sasuke's face twisted, "Who?"

"The doc," Suigetsu sighed, "snake's pet. You have to remember him. Roman eyes and Russian fingers? The voyeur."

Now there was a face to go with the name. White hair, glasses, not much older than him, with the sort of talent Sasuke hated most. He'd seen him more times than he cared to remember, most often after waking up in a hospital following an attack. He'd seen him during the snake's attack, too, standing back, not participating, but watching everything with a vague smile. He hadn't been one of Itachi's. Sasuke's impression of him was that he had his own motives and was only working for others when it suited him. He actually reminded him of Kakashi, except Kakashi stuck to himself while Kabuto had been a flunky more often than not.

"Why would he have this number?" asked Sasuke. The cold deepened, while the numbness shifted to anger. Kabuto he could deal with. Unlike Itachi, he wasn't insane. He definitely wasn't untouchable.

"That's a good question," Suigetsu drawled. "Maybe you should ask him."

"Don't call here again."

"Come on, is that the thanks I get for-"

Sasuke hung up the phone, with slightly more force than necessary. He rather liked the sharp click it made. He left the office and wasn't surprised to find Naruto hovering just outside. He'd give him credit for not coming in.

"Anything wrong?" asked Naruto.

"An old acquaintance of mine," Sasuke said, settling on honesty with omissions rather than a lie. "I'm going for a walk. We have to mow the lawn when I get back, and Iruka-san wanted you to take the new kids around town. I'll meet you back here in a few hours."

Naruto's face pulled into a scowl, but he didn't comment on the antisocial behavior this time. Sasuke appreciated that, too. Their fight had some benefits if it made Naruto a bit more restrained.

"Good luck with your fox."

"Yeah," Naruto sighed. "Have fun with your walk."

.-.

Shikamaru blinked bleary eyes at the door. The knocking was repeated, and then someone stepped in, outlined in light that was way too bright. He grimaced, ducking lower under the blanket.

"Sorry to bother you," Kakashi said cheerfully. "This will just take a minute of your time."

Shikamaru grunted and peered obligingly over the top of the covers.

"Is it all right with you if I have sex with Iruka?"

Bleary eyes narrowing, Shikamaru did a quick memory check. "Hovering guy with the pony-tail?"

"That's the one!"

"Yeah," Shikamaru sniffed. "Sure. Knock yourself out."

"Thank you very much," Kakashi beamed.

"No problem." He watched the weird guy all but skip out of the room, shutting the door politely and quietly behind him. Then he rolled over and went back to sleep.

.-.

Iruka hurried downstairs after seeing Sasuke to the phone. He was still trying to convince himself that Kakashi had been bluffing. It wasn't working very well. He was so frazzled that he actually collided with the man in question the moment he reached the hallway downstairs. Kakashi didn't mind, judging by the happy embrace and subsequent grope to the ass he greeted him with. Iruka bristled.

"Stop doing that!" Iruka huffed. "And about-"

There was a knock on the front door. Iruka gnashed his teeth at yet another distraction. He was going to have it out with Kakashi. He swore he was. If people would just leave him alone long enough to do it! He shoved his way out of Kakashi's clingy embrace and stalked to the door. There was enough frustrated anger blazing on his face that he expected to flashfry whoever was foolish enough to be standing on his doorstep. Thus, he was a bit confused by the blinding - literally - grin that met him.

"Hi! Thanks for having me! I'm so happy to be here! Not that I minded where I was, but there just isn't sufficient room to exercise properly in a jail cell. It's no wonder the inmates are so cranky, they don't get nearly enough sunshine or calcium. I'm determined to fit in better here, or else I'll run fifty laps around this beautifully overgrown lawn of yours!"

Iruka blinked slowly. It was a boy. A very...exuberant boy with black hair in a bowl cut, blinding white teeth, scarily wide eyes, blocky black eyebrows, and a disturbing green jumpsuit that should have been illegal to wear in public. He barely resisted the urge to back up. "You are...?"

"Lee! I got arrested a few weeks ago for disturbing the peace. It turns out you're not supposed to climb public buildings. I don't know why, since it's not as if I hurt them in any way, but apparently that sort of action appears suicidal to some, so I attracted attention that I shouldn't have. They told you about that when they called, right? I expected them to come see you with me, but it seems they were in quite a hurry. They left skid marks when they peeled out. I do apologize for that! I don't know why they would be so rude, or why they were so skittish during the drive here. I'm completely harmless, I can assure you! They just didn't have any place to send me and I'm afraid my enthusiasm was making the other inmates feel inadequate. It was quite sad! I've never seen so many forlorn and excitable people in one place!"

The boy folded his hands behind his back, stood ramrod straight, and grinned, showing far too many perfectly white teeth. Iruka felt his stomach slip down a few inches, a very unsettling sensation. Then he smiled gently, "Please wait here a moment, Lee. I'll be right back."

"Certainly! I shall avail myself of the sunshine on your doorstep!"

Iruka nodded gratefully, easing the door shut on the boy. Then he turned on his heel and bellowed, "Naruto! Get down here now!"

"See?" Kakashi winced, poking an ear at the boom, and relieved that he'd seen fit to soundproof Shikamaru's room. "Sexual relief would keep explosions like this to a minimum."

"Not one word," Iruka gritted through his teeth.

"Got it." Kakashi flashed a weak smile when Iruka flinched and looked close to hurting him. "That was two words, not one..."

Iruka's eyes narrowed dangerously. His hand flew up, pointing down the hall. "Kitchen. Stay there."

This time Kakashi obeyed silently. But he smirked the second his back was turned. There were bound to be kids in the kitchen. Kids whose permission he'd yet to gain. Nice.

.-.
TBC

-notes-
Sorry to everyone who thought Gaara was the insane kid. I tried to make it clear that the kid coming was 'insane but not dangerous.' Gaara is definitely dangerous in this fic. Only one person correctly guessed that it was Lee who was coming. Kudos. And, again, sorry to the rest. It's not time for Gaara yet.
Also, there were a lot of 'knocking on the door' interruptions in this fic. It was sort of the theme here, interruptions are the spice of bad.