Embracing Dreams

Quick semi-short update? Well, it's shorter than recent chapters, but longer than some of my early ones, so, meh, it'll even out in the end.

Warnings: humor, drama, shounen ai, KakaIru

Part 27

Sasuke had barely made it to his room when Iruka's bellow echoed up the stairs. He snagged his equipment and made a quick escape out the window. With his sunglasses firmly in place, he activated the sharingan, immediately scanning the yard for energy signatures. So it was that when he rounded the house he was nearly blinded by the cheerful beacon standing on the front steps. Tawny golden energy that burned in odd flaming spikes, the tips of which actually curved in his direction when the bearer spotted him. That was unnerving enough to stop him in his tracks. He'd never seen energy react to a person like that.

"Hi!" the boy exclaimed. "I'm Lee! Do you live here, too?"

Too? Sasuke recalled the booming yell that had sent him fleeing from the house. One of Iruka's, then. He jerked his eyes away, having seen more than enough. That green was even worse than Naruto's orange. No one connected to Kabuto or Itachi would wear something like that. He'd deal with this...person...later.

Lee blinked, his wide smile faltering for a just a second, and then waved at Sasuke's back. "Bye! It was nice meeting you!" He was still waving when the door opened and a blonde head poked out.

Naruto caught a glimpse of Sasuke, frowned after him, and then shook it off. Something was wrong. He could feel it in his gut, squirming, rolling, taking little rat-sized bites now and then. But prying and hovering was the same as pushing and he wasn't going to do that without a very good reason. He focused on the new kid. And then he grinned. No wonder Iruka had been out of sorts. This guy had even louder taste in clothes than he did. And his eyebrows. Wow. "Hey. Lee, right? Come on in. I'm Naruto."

"Thank you," Lee smiled. "It's nice to meet you!"

"Sorry about the welcome. I sort of forgot to tell Iruka-sensei you were coming." Naruto led him down the hall to the first empty room, the one set between Kiba's and Shikamaru's. "You can use this room. There are some other new kids here, too, right now. I was about to take them around town. You can come with and get your room set up later. Okay? You can leave your stuff in here now, though."

"Oh," Lee said quickly, "I don't have anything to leave. I'm accustomed to living off the land. That's much more difficult to do in large cities, particularly ones with peculiar laws. Is there a prohibition against running in the fields here? I was quite excited to see such fertile wilderness just waiting to be explored! The drive here was wonderfully enticing!"

"Running in the fields?" A wide grin spread across Naruto's face. "There's no ban on that. I do it all the time. Not sure what you mean about cities, though. What, are you from the country?"

"Yes," said Lee, and his expression became very sober. "It came time for me to spread my wings and explore the wide world on my own. Unfortunately, I haven't done as well as I'd hoped. I hadn't accounted for the laws and prohibitions and stunning lack of paying jobs for diligent young workers, such as myself."

"How old are you?" asked Naruto. He'd been considering a summer job himself, but with Sasuke and the new kids, he was starting to think he'd miss too much if he were out of the house all the time.

"I will be seventeen this year."

"Then you shouldn't have any problem getting work around here. Let Iruka-sensei know what you're interested in and he can set you up with something. Not that you have to," Naruto added quickly. "There's plenty of food and stuff here." He had that savings account Iruka had put aside for him if money ever became a problem around the house. It was supposed to be for when he 'left' to find a place of his own, but as far as he was concerned this was his own place. Iruka got quiet when he talked about him leaving, so he knew he didn't want him to go any more than he wanted to leave himself. "You'd only need to work if you wanted to save it up, or for spending money, stuff like that."

"I must work," Lee said fervently. "I am incomplete when I'm not devoting myself wholeheartedly to a worthwhile endeavor."

Naruto's lips twitched, "Okay...if you say so." Whatever first impression Iruka had gotten when he'd opened to the door to this kid, Naruto knew he was going to love the guy's work ethic.

As if conjured up by that thought, Iruka peeked into the room. "Lee. I'm sorry for being so abrupt earlier. You caught me off guard."

"That's all right," Lee smiled. "I do that to people!"

"Ah," Iruka said, giving a weak smile in return. "If you'd come upstairs for a minute, I'd like to ask you a few questions."

"Certainly!" Lee turned a slightly less blinding smile on Naruto, "Will you be coming, too, Naruto-kun?"

Naruto hesitated, "You okay with that? He's probably gonna ask a lot of personal stuff."

"Oh, I have nothing to hide. Even the embarrassing mistakes I have made have only built up my inner strength. They should be shared so that others do not repeat them." And he gave a solemn nod, "You are more than welcome."

"Well, okay, then." Naruto grinned at Iruka, who was still looking as if he didn't know what to make of the kid. "Don't worry, Iruka-sensei. You're gonna like this one."

Iruka recovered his equilibrium quickly, "Of course I will. Come, let's talk in my office."

.-.

In retrospect, Kakashi considered himself lucky to have found the kitchen was not full of children when he entered. The girls would pose a problem to him, particularly Sakura. He was fairly sure he'd been the only one to catch her "are they, you know" whisper up in the attic. That didn't necessarily mean she was a homophobe, but orientation could be an issue. He'd save her for next to last, with Naruto taking up the rear. Kiba was the only one in the kitchen at the moment. Convenient. The kid was the earthy type, with his animal fetish, so he'd be the second easiest to tackle.

"Ah," Kakashi sighed, entering the room with envious eyes shining at Akamaru, who was currently lounging on the floor beside Kiba's chair. "I envy dogs. They're so honest, following their instincts, not getting hung up on the little nicities that make people so difficult to deal with."

Five minutes later he knew he had him. Kiba stared at first, warily, surprised to find a supporter in him, and then the kid was nodding, and smiling, and eager to talk about how superior 'natural animals' were compared to humans with their hangups and petty grievances and language quirks.

"And it doesn't matter whose den smells better," Kiba was saying, leaning over the table toward Kakashi, who nodded solemnly. "As long as it's close to a food source, safe from predators, big enough to shelter the pups, that's all you need."

"They certainly wouldn't fuss over whether their neighbor has a scruffy stray for a mate," Kakashi drawled.

"Hell, no!" Kiba snorted. "Not unless they were planning to snag the bitch themselves."

Kakashi hummed thoughtfully. "But what about the pups? Say their dame went and hooked up with a mongrel they didn't much like. Would they throw a fit about that?"

"Well, maybe. Depends how old they are. If they're big enough they might try running him off, especially if they still remember their sire. 'Course, if they're that old, they'd probably be out looking for mates of their own by then. That's more a problem with cats than dogs, though. Some toms eat the litter if the kittens aren't his own. Dogs don't do that - if the dame's strong enough to raise the pups on her own, she'd run off any stray that tried to cross her."

"Eating the litter," Kakashi winced, "that's extreme..."

Kiba sniffed, "It's a cat thing."

"So canines are more accepting of their dame's preferences?"

"Most of the time they don't have a choice," Kiba shrugged. "If they could fend for themselves, they wouldn't be in the den. They're that old and still sticking around, then they just have to deal. The bitch is as likely to run off overgrown pups in favor of her new mate as she is to pick them over him."

Kakashi beamed. "That's very good to know. So, Kiba, as an overgrown pup who's still sticking around the den, would you say it's none of your business who your denmother decides to hook up with?"

"Huh?"

"I'm sorry," Kakashi drawled, leaning over to scratch behind Akamaru's ear, earning him a few thumps of his tail, "let me rephrase that." He straightened up and leveled a pleasant smile on the boy. "Iruka is in desperate need of a mate. I'm quite happy to oblige him, but there's still the issue of the pups, the litter. Would you say it's none of your business, or do I need to eat you?"

Kiba's eyes bulged, his skin going pasty white and then red from his neck up past his eyebrows. His jaw unhinged for a long moment before snapping shut. "The hell? W-" He pushed off from the table, staring at Kakashi as if he were insane. "Why the hell are you talking to me about - whatever you do with - that's got nothing to do with me!"

"None of your business?" Kakashi ventured, still smiling calmly.

"None!" Kiba blurted.

The poor kid looked a few seconds shy of bolting. Kakashi deduced that the earthy fellow was a virgin. He was reacting worse than Sasuke had the first time he'd caught a glimpse of his illustrated porn. "I'm sorry if I've made you uncomfortable."

"Uncomfortable?" Kiba repeated in disbelief. "Shit, man..."

"Do you have a problem with homosexuality?"

"What?" If anything, Kiba looked even more exasperated. "No, I just - can't believe you're talking to me about - about your..."

"Sex life?"

"Yeah!"

"Well," Kakashi explained, "I don't actually have one at the moment. That's why I'm talking with you. Iruka's concerned that you might think badly of him if he were to-"

"It's none of my business," Kiba cut in, very quickly. "Seriously. What he does in private is his business, what you do is yours, and I don't want any part of it. Just - yeah, just keep me out of it..."

"Done." Kakashi stood with a pleased smile. "It was good talking to you."

Kiba watched him go. It was a long while before his face lost that pinched look. He didn't understand humans. What the hell could Iruka see in that guy? He was the kind of tom who'd start eating off the litter first chance he got. And probably saunter off with a full stomach and a-

Akamaru cut in with a very firm reminder of the fact that Iruka was little brother, not little sister. Floppy ears not withstanding, he was as likely to be the one sauntering as Kakashi was. Sauntering and running the infertile bitch out the second he was done with her. No pups, no point keeping her around. Kiba couldn't help but snort. That did put a slightly different spin on things.

.-.

Iruka was glad he'd taken time out to collect himself before speaking with Lee. The boy was actually quite endearing once one got past the gaudy and loud exterior. He had a hyperactive disorder, either compounded by his talents, or adding to them. He certainly wasn't insane. He'd been raised in a small town, little more than a series of farms in southern China, with little human interaction aside from the mutant who'd adopted him. Iruka suspected most of Lee's quirks had been picked up from him, a man with similar talents who Lee referred to reverently as his 'mentor in all things'. Iruka had little faith in this mentor of his, considering the man had all but ordered Lee to 'spread his wings and soar,' before abandoning him and disappearing on a 'world exploration' trip of his own. If he ever met up with the man in person, he was determined to have a long talk with him. The jail Lee had just come from was only the most recent in a long series of incarcerations that, frankly, made his head swim.

Disturbing the peace, trespassing, public intoxication - and that one was just plain upsetting, considering the alcohol had been given to him by an adult with undoubtedly ulterior motives. The poor boy hadn't even known what it was, and he still didn't remember what he'd done under the influence - aside from destroying enough public property to get him held for two months in a local juvenile detention center. It was amazing he'd survived so long, and rather depressing that no one had seen fit to take him in hand at some point. Lee didn't know any better, and he wouldn't, couldn't, until someone told him.

Things like this really hurt Iruka's faith in people as a whole. And it made him even more determined that what he was doing was worthwhile. They were slipping through the cracks. He couldn't catch them all, but he'd certainly catch as many as he could.

Naruto, who'd sat in silent awe during Lee's very honest description of his life, jumped off the couch when he was finished. Iruka could tell he was thinking along the same lines as him by the way his jaw set, and how determinedly cheerful his grin was. Naruto had led a sheltered life since he'd adopted him. It was good for him to catch a glimpse of what it was like for those less fortunate.

"Let's look around town now," Naruto urged. "I'll introduce you to the rest. You're not tired, right?"

"Oh, no," said Lee, that grin flashing over his face. "Getting to know one's environment is the first step to fitting in! I am eager to explore!"

"Well, there's not that much to see, but it'll keep us a few hours, anyway. Maybe we can all stop by the mall for lunch," and he ventured a quick look at Iruka.

"A light lunch," Iruka warned. Naruto was surprisingly frugal when it came to blowing money, with the one exception of meal time. The boy could easily eat twice his weight in fast food. "I want everyone back here by six. You didn't mow the lawn while I was gone."

Naruto's smile pulled into a wince, "I know. Sasuke reminded me. We'll get it done before dark, promise."

"Is that something I could help you with?" Lee asked.

He sounded as if he'd actually enjoy that. Naruto waved him off, "Nah, it's a punishment. Wait till you get in trouble, then it'll be your turn to do it."

"Ah, I see."

Iruka followed them out into the hall. He caught Naruto before he could reach the stairs. "If you see Hinata at the mall, ask her to have Kurenai give me a call when she gets off."

"And wake you up?" Naruto grimaced. "She's working nights now, right?"

"It's important."

"Okay."

The boys headed for the kitchen, looking to round up the other kids. Iruka went to the livingroom with the same thing in mind. He stopped shy of the doorway. Kakashi was leaning against the wall just outside, looking as if he'd been there for some time. Iruka's face pinched, a bristle working its way up his shoulders. He'd almost forgotten about him. His mouth opened and Kakashi raised a finger for quiet.

"Take a peek in there," he murmured, jerking his head toward the doorway. "Cute little domestic scene going on with the supposed harpies."

Iruka's eyebrows shot up. He glanced into the room, stared for a short moment, and then pulled back with a hand over his mouth. He'd been absolutely right about them. They bickered and picked at each other and seemed desperate to get as far away from each other as possible. And there they were, getting along as naturally as sisters. Sakura was sitting on the floor, a book opened in her lap. Ino was behind her, combing her hair and watching television over her shoulder. It was enough to make Iruka wish desperately for a camera.

In the livingroom, Ino shot a glower at the doorway and then rolled her eyes. And Kakashi had complained about her staring at him. At least she had the decency to do it openly. "Did you need something, Iruka-san?" she called.

Iruka gave a guilty jump, earning him a smirk from the lounging Kakashi. He came in with a weak smile. "Nothing in particular. Naruto's going to take anyone interested for a look around town now. If you'd rather stay here-"

"No way," Ino said quickly. She tossed the brush on the table, smoothing her long tail of hair, one hand sliding into her pocket. "You should get satellite. The daytime dramas they show here are absurd."

Sakura closed the book, an interesting but very overwritten series of journals Iruka had loaned to her. She turned in time to catch the strip of cloth Ino tossed at her. Her nose wrinkled when she used it for a headband. They'd decided to cannibalize their stained clothing and the red cloth clashed horribly with her hair. She still didn't understand why Ino had been allowed to keep the clothing she'd been taken in, while she'd been forced to wear the same hospital gray day after day. As it was, her hair was too short to tie back, a situation she intended to remedy as quickly as she could grow it out. She just knew Ino was going to say something about being blinded by the sun glinting off her forehead the second they were outside.

"This is very interesting," Sakura said to Iruka, as she set the book on the table.

Iruka gave a knowing smile, "But hard to wade through?"

"A little," she admitted. "I don't think it fits me. It's not an alternate personality so much as a duplicate. Louder and more honest," and blunt, "but still the same. It's just my own thoughts to me."

"And a monster to the rest of us," Ino scoffed.

Sakura favored her with a vindictive smile, "Stay out of my head and you don't have to worry about that."

"Oh, I'm not worried. I'd sooner go in the dog than back in there."

"I'll bet you would."

Iruka winced at the shift in that formerly peaceful atmosphere. He was relieved when Naruto came in from the dining room, Kiba and Lee close on his heels. Then Kiba caught his eye and unaccountably flushed dark red before looking away. Iruka felt himself stiffen. He managed to force a smile onto his face, nodding at Naruto, and then he turned on his heel, heading back to the hall and the masked man still leaning there. He didn't so much as look at him. He grabbed Kakashi's wrist and marched him to the stairs, his lips pressed into a frigid frown. He didn't let go until he had the quarry in his office and his back to the door, blocking any escape.

"Tell me you didn't," he hissed.

"Didn't what?" asked Kakashi. He blinked in innocent surprise at the venom wafting through the room.

Iruka's breath hitched with the strain of keeping his voice down. "Tell me you didn't ask Kiba's permission to fuck me."

The language came as a bit of a surprise, but Kakashi shrugged it off. "Of course I didn't. I simply asked how he felt about the idea of us getting to know each other better. He's quite taken with you, you know. I'd even say he's a bit protective toward you. He does not, however, believe it's any of his business who you choose to take an interest in. I expect he'll want the same consideration from you when he finds a girlfriend. Which might be sooner than he thinks. Girls tend to like the shy earthy types, especially ones with cute friendly dogs."

"I can't believe you talked to him about this." Iruka shook his head, anger, frustration, and a surprising amount of hurt twisting in his stomach until he felt sick. "I thought you wanted me to like you. Intentionally humiliating me is not the way to get on my good side! I barely know him and now he thinks I'm..."

"Human," said Kakashi. "An adult fully capable of doing what you like so long as it doesn't harm others. You're the adult here, as you pointed out yourself. The parent in this situation. When single parents take lovers, it's normal for them to worry that their kids won't like the partners they pick. So the considerate ones ask and test the waters. The inconsiderate ones say screw the kids and do what they want. You're considerate, you put them first and worry about how they'll feel about something that, most likely, won't have any effect on them, anyway. But your problem is that instead of asking, you assume the worst and abstain entirely. Do you really intend to turn down everyone you're interested for the rest of your life on the off chance one of your kids will get upset?"

"It's my life," Iruka cried. "I was perfectly fine before you came and I'll be perfectly fine after you leave."

"Do you like playing the martyr? Oh, it's a noble enough idea, sacrifice personal happiness for the sake of the needy children. But all it comes down to is the old maid taking in the local strays. Sure, the cats appreciate it, but they'd appreciate it just the same whether she's living alone or entertaining guests seven nights a week. In fact, I'd wager they'd appreciate it more if she were having wild parties, considering she'd be happier, more likely to pet, and less likely to snap and kick. You've had your house open for, what, a week now? Already you're falling apart at the seams."

Because of you. The words pushed against the inside of his clenched teeth. Iruka didn't let them out. It wasn't entirely true, or fair. "Things have been happening," he said tightly. "It's been hectic lately. I'll cope until things settle down. If I do reach the breaking point, I've better ways to vent than screwing you."

Since Kakashi intended to do the screwing, he overlooked that statement. He sighed in honest pity, "Things aren't going to settle down, Iruka. They'll stay just as hectic as they have been, if not worse, so long as you're in charge of a house full of volatile teenagers. Normal teenagers would be hard enough for one person to handle. These are mutants, most of whom are individually capable of destroying this entire town if they had a mind to. There are seven of them now. You might have twenty by the end of the month. And every one of them will be looking to you for structure. It's not just a matter of comfort and shelter. They'll need rules, control, and you won't be able to control them if you aren't in control of yourself. You can't afford to flake. The second you do, it's going to fall apart."

"I know all of that," Iruka said. "Do you think I haven't considered how difficult this would be?"

"I think you've bitten off more than you can chew and you're so determined to do it the hard way by swallowing it dry that you're going to choke to death on it."

"What difference would that make to you? You're a blip. Here today, gone tomorrow. You won't be around to see it."

"Sasuke will be."

"Oh," Iruka erupted in disgust. "Don't you dare pretend this is about him!"

Kakashi's eye narrowed in a sly smile. "Why not? You're still pretending this is about Naruto."

"It is about him! It's about all of them!"

"No," Kakashi sighed. "It's about you."

His voice was soft, almost gentle, but the way he stared at him was Bunchu all over again, as if he could see right through him. Kakashi advanced on him, and he took a quick step back, jumping when he struck the closed door. Hands came down on either side of him, pinning him in place. He wanted to push him away, but he didn't want to touch him at all. Kakashi was much too close, watching him with that knowing look and suddenly his mask seemed sinister. His hackles rose. "Stop it."

"Stop what?" drawled Kakashi.

He glared, "Trying to intimidate me."

"That's not what I'm doing."

"Well," Iruka said sarcastically, "if you're trying to seduce me you're doing a piss poor job of it."

"Not that, either. You might say I'm just trying to...dig a little." His thumb brushed the shell of Iruka's ear, sending him lurching as far to the side as he could get at the moment. The glare Iruka leveled on him was positively lethal. He rather liked that. "What happened to you? It doesn't sound like you had it that bad, taken in by Hiko, given a brother close enough to your own age to wreck havoc with. What are you trying to save them from?"

"Nothing," Iruka snapped. "Everything. As much as I can."

Kakashi stared at him until he started to get that edgy look in his eyes again. "Iruka."

"...what?"

He smiled so that his eye crinkled, "You make an adorable crusader." He caught him up before he could decide whether to be confused or insulted, pulling him into smothering embrace. "Very cute."

Iruka quickly decided he'd rather be insulted than confused. He bristled and squirmed, dearly regretting that he hadn't decked Kakashi the second he'd cornered him against the door. "Let go."

"In a minute. You need cuddling. Or maybe that's coddling. Maa, either way..." He squeezed him closer, nuzzling his masked nose against his neck. "Relax. I promise from now on I'll take my mask off before I put the moves on you. I'm still wearing it, see? This is absolutely innocent."

"There's nothing innocent about you," Iruka muttered. He didn't relax, but he did stop trying to get free.

"Such a mean thing to say..."

"The truth hurts."

"Yes, it does," Kakashi murmured, in a placating tone. He rubbed at the back of Iruka's neck, smoothing out some of the tensed muscles there. "Try not to hold that against me, eh?"

Iruka was suddenly grateful Kakashi couldn't see his face. Those were some very skilled fingers he had. He grimaced and kept any hint of that from his voice. "Too late. I've decided I don't like you. The sooner you leave here, the better. In fact, I'd be more than happy to drive you to the airport and buy you a ticket to wherever you'd like to go."

"I'll take you up on that." His fingers crept down Iruka's spine, pressing here and there, dragging out when he hit a particularly nasty knot. Iruka didn't make a sound, but he did lean into him more. "But not today."

"Tomorrow?"

"We'll see." He didn't have to sound quite so hopeful. Kakashi redoubled his efforts until Iruka's arms curled around him and he was all but hanging off him, so soft and relaxed he might have been sleeping on his feet. He'd have to give him a real massage some time. Preferably sans clothing and inhibitions.

Iruka couldn't remember the last time he'd felt so wrung out. Kakashi was far more manipulative than him. Or else he really was flaking. He couldn't keep up. What was he doing? He'd drug him up here to yell at him, not to snuggle with him. He pushed himself free and couldn't help being disappointed when Kakashi didn't try to hold on.

"I have things to do," he said, and immediately he wondered why he was excusing himself. Habit, maybe. "Please stop talking about this to the kids. I don't want to throw you out of my house."

"Alright," Kakashi lied, letting himself out of the office.

He kindly chose not to mention that Iruka couldn't throw him out at this point. From what he'd seen, Naruto and his fox wouldn't be able to, either. Now, if Sasuke happened to team up with the fox-pair, then they might be able to get him out of the house. But that wouldn't stop him from coming right back in while they slept off their injuries and exhaustion. He could be very tenacious when he set his sights on something.

.-.
TBC