Title: Your Wish Is My Command
Fandom: Naruto
Pairing: KakashixIruka
Rating: NC-17 for later chapters
Summary: Iruka gets hit by a jutsu and is left unable to make a decision on his own. When someone to look after him is searched, Kakashi can’t flee fast enough. Poor him?
Spoilers: Slight spoilers for the events right before the time-skip.
Disclaimer: Don’t own.

AN:
Thank you all for your reviews. I'm very happy to hear that you like the story and also that you think about a certain doujinshi the same way as me. I hope you will like how I develop the storyline in this chapter.
Nayru

Your Wish Is My Command

by nayru-kleinefee


Chapter 3

“Hey, Obito, Sensei”, Kakashi greeted softly and sat down in front of the Memorial Stone. “It’s been a while, eh? Sorry. But I’ve been… busy.” He turned his head around to where Iruka was sitting contently under a tree with a book. “I’ve… I’ve got somebody to take care of at the moment. He’s… he…” He sighed.

“You know, Obito, I can see you laughing about me right now. I bet you’re rolling on the floor and crying because you laugh so hard. Just look at me, famous Hatake Kakashi doesn’t know what to do because a man keeps kissing him.” The Jounin shook his head. “And Sensei, I can see you smile that soft, knowing smile of yours, that one you always smiled when I didn’t understand life. Again.” He chuckled softly.

“I can remember that mission, Sensei, that mission on which we lost Obito. I was angry afterwards, and sad and confused and… And you looked at me and said, ‘Kakashi-kun, today life was cruel to you, don’t you think? And unfair and hard?’ And I just nodded and then threw that thing against the wall, I can’t even remember what it was, just that it was blue. And you said, ‘Life is like that sometimes, Kakashi-kun. Sometimes it’s cruel and unfair and hard. But then there are other times when it apologises to you and gives you something in return, something to make you understand that living is worth accepting those cruel times.’” Kakashi sighed.

“Life’s often been cruel and unfair and hard to me, Sensei. I know this sounds as if I was complaining, and maybe I am, but… but do you think that what happens right at the moment… do you think this is an apology? The apology maybe? Could Iruka be life’s apology to me? My reason why it’s worth living still?” He closed his eyes.

“And if that really is the case… do you think that I deserve it? That I deserve him? I’ve made so many mistakes in my life. I could have saved Obito, and maybe even you, Sensei, if I had made different decisions. And maybe I could have kept Sasuke from abandoning the village if I had just behaved differently. And with these mistakes I made, Sensei… do I deserve an apology? Do I deserve a chance like this?” Kakashi gasped and hit the ground with his fists.

“See?! I can’t even bring myself to accept it!”, he growled. “I’m not even able to accept that there’s somebody who’s maybe able to be my reason to live! And why?! Just because he’s a man! Just because of that! Iruka says it, that it doesn’t matter, and I… I somehow know that it doesn’t, but still… but still I…” Kakashi swallowed hard when the thoughts he’d tried to keep away from him so hard came crushing down on him suddenly.

“It’s so easy to say that, isn’t it?”, he whispered. “So easy to blame the fact that we’re both men. But the truth is… I’m afraid, Sensei. I’m afraid that I will be happy with him, that he will be my reason. I’m afraid because everything that was good in my life up till now ended before I even could understand how good it was. It all ended and everybody important to me died, and… and I don’t want that again. I don’t want him to leave me. I don’t want Iruka to leave me. And most of all I don’t want him to get hurt because of me. But how can I prevent that? Sensei? Obito? How can I-”

“Iruka-sensei! Iruka-sensei, is something wrong?”, a high voice suddenly startled him out of his dark thoughts. He turned around and caught sight of Kurenai’s Genin team standing around Iruka.

“What happened?”, Kakashi shouted much too loudly, making the three kids jump in surprise, then hurriedly stood up and ran over to them and the Chuunin. When he could look into Iruka’s eyes, he gasped and stumbled at the pain shooting through him suddenly.

“We… we didn’t… we never…”, the Inuzuka boy stammered, but the Jounin hardly heard him.

“Iruka”, he whispered and took the Chuunin’s hand in his. “Iruka, can you hear me? Everything’s fine, Iruka, I’m with you now. Don’t worry, okay?”

“Ka… kashi…”, Iruka whispered, then blinked and his eyes became normal and lively again. “What happened?”

“Nothing to worry about.” Kakashi smiled at him.

“We… w-we are s-s-sorry”, the little Hyuuga girl said softly.

“It’s alright.” Kakashi forced another smile on his face, reminding himself that the kids probably hadn’t known anything and for sure hadn’t intended to harm their former teacher. “Just don’t use a certain word when Iruka-sensei’s around, alright?”

“What word?”, the Inuzuka – Kiba, the Copy-nin remembered now – asked.

“It’s…” Kakashi contemplated to take out his book and search the word in there to show them shortly, but then decided that Iruka probably wouldn’t be very fond of that. “Go and ask Sakura about it, alright?”

“A-alright”, the girl answered, but didn’t look him in the eye.

Kakashi frowned and followed her gaze downwards to where he still held Iruka’s hand. He hastily wanted to remove his hand at first, but then decided differently and instead tightened his hold.

The girl blinked, then blushed a little before she turned around and hastily followed her team-mates already walking away.

“Are you finished here?”, Iruka asked softly.

“Not quite.” Kakashi turned to look at him, looked at deep, brown eyes, a gentle smile and care, so much care practically emanating from the Chuunin. What if all the answers he searched for were right in front of him? What if he’d just not asked the right person for advice? And what if it wasn’t his decision at all?

“Iruka?”

“Yes?”

“Iruka, do you… do you think that if somebody gives you an apology, more a… a wonderful, precious present, and you aren’t sure if you deserve it… do you think that it’s still alright to take it?”

Iruka frowned deeply. “That’s a weird question.”

“I know.” The Copy-nin smiled softly. “Can you still tell me what you think about it?”

“I think…” Iruka chewed on his lower lip. “I think that maybe if you do your best to be worth the apology and the present and the trust given to you with it, then it’s alright to take it. Is that what you thought of?”

Kakashi smiled. “That’s… I was hoping you would say something like that.” He stood up. “Please come now”, he said and dragged the Chuunin after him towards the Memorial Stone.

“Sensei. Obito.” Kakashi looked from the black stone to Iruka beside him. “Please help me. I know I need all the help I can get for this. I don’t w- I can’t lose this. I need this to work.”

“Kakashi”, Iruka whispered, “Kakashi, what do you mean?”

“I thought enough now”, the Jounin answered, then embraced him and formed the seals for the transportation jutsu behind his back. “And you were right, I was thinking too much”, he whispered when they arrived in the Chuunin’s apartment before he slowly, a little hesitantly still pulled his mask down, then leaned forward to kiss Iruka’s lips.

Kissing Iruka without his mask felt better than anything he could remember having experienced so far, Kakashi noticed. The Chuunin’s lips were soft on his, warm and gentle, and while kissing him, the Copy-nin could forget about everything else and just feel something like liquid, warm happiness pool inside him.

“Kakashi”, Iruka whispered against his lips, his eyes closed. “Kakashi…”

“Iruka”, Kakashi whispered back and embraced the Chuunin tighter before he kissed him once again. Mmmh…

“Kakashi, can we sit down?”, Iruka whispered afterwards.

“Yes.” The Copy-nin kissed him again. Mmmmmh…

“Where’s the couch?”

“Other side of the door. But the bedroom and your bed are right behind you.” Kakashi smiled. “Can’t you see where we are suddenly?” Maybe the Chuunin would like to be carried?

“Can’t open my eyes.” Iruka nuzzled his face under his chin. “You said you don’t like people to see you.”

“Oh.” Kakashi’s eyes widened. “But… but that was before… I mean… I mean you can now.” He swallowed. The last person he’d willingly shown his face to had been his sensei, more than fourteen years ago. But… but he wanted this. He wanted to show Iruka that he was willing to do anything to be worth him.

“Really?”, Iruka asked and tilted his head up but kept his eyes closed.

“It’s alright.” The Jounin took a deep breath. When Iruka opened his eyes slowly, he almost closed his own.

“You look good”, the Chuunin observed before he kissed him once again. “And your lips feel even better than I always imagined. Sit down now?”

“I… y-yes.” Kakashi sat down on the bed a little confusedly. Whatever reaction he had expected, this hadn’t been it.

“This hurt”, Iruka whispered and traced the scar running from under his hitai-ate over his left cheek. Then he leaned forward and kissed it.

“Yes.” Kakashi nodded. “But it’s old.”

“You mean I can’t kiss it better anymore?” Iruka grinned.

“You could try.” Kakashi grinned back. He didn’t know why, but suddenly everything had become easy with the Chuunin. Better even. Much better. Maybe this could really work, maybe Iruka could really be his reason to start living again instead of just existing.

Iruka crawled up on the bed and lay down, motioning the Jounin to lie beside him. When Kakashi did as wished, the Chuunin kissed his scar once again before he snuggled up on his left side.

“It’s weird…”, Kakashi whispered after a while, only half noticing that the words left his mouth. Weird, but not unpleasant, not at all.

“What’s weird?”, Iruka asked softly and nuzzled his throat with his nose.

“It’s still a little weird to lie here and cuddle with a man… and with you furthermore… I would never have imagined that some weeks ago.” And it felt unusual to have someone important again, to allow someone to become important, precious to him again. He would have to get used to that.

“Oh”, Iruka breathed, and Kakashi could feel him first freeze, then tense beside him. “Then why do you do this if you hate me?”, the Chuunin whispered, his voice barely audible.

“No!”, Kakashi gasped in shock. “No, Iruka, I don’t hate you.”

“But do you hate being here with me?”, Iruka asked and curled up in himself, his fingers digging into the cloth of the Jounin’s shirt. “And only do this to make me feel better?”

“I don’t hate being here with you, Iruka”, Kakashi told him softly and shifted until he lay on his left side facing him. He saw that the Chuunin had almost curled into a ball.

“But you said that it’s weird, most of all with me”, Iruka whispered. “If it feels weird, then you can’t like it, and if you don’t like it, then you maybe even hate it, and then you only do it bec-”

“But I don’t hate it.” Kakashi moved his left hand to stroke over the Chuunin’s back reassuringly. “It just feels a little… unusual for me still to do this with a man instead of a woman, you know? And I would never have thought that you and me would… would do this one day. But only because we were arguing and fighting so often before all of this happened.”

“Oh.” Iruka relaxed a little. “Then you don’t hate me? And don’t hate being with me?”

“No, I don’t.”

“Then you… like it? And decided to be with me because you like it?”

Kakashi smiled. He didn’t have to think about that anymore. “Yes, I like it, Iruka. It just feels… different.”

“And you like me?”, Iruka asked softly. “Do you like me, Kakashi?”

“Yes”, Kakashi whispered.

“Good.” The Chuunin lifted his head and smiled at him before he cuddled up against him again. “Good…” He yawned.

“Iruka?”, Kakashi asked after a while that had him fidgeting in indecision whether to ask or not.

“Hmmm?”, Iruka sighed, then yawned again.

“Do… do you like me?”, the Copy-nin whispered.

“Mmmmh…” Iruka yawned again and cuddled even closer. “Very much… very, very much…”

Kakashi lay beside him, wide awake, even after the Chuunin’s breathing had evened out and he’d fallen asleep, wondering how it was possible for the answer he’d known would come for sure to still cause this much relief inside him. But he wanted to feel this relief, to feel these sensations deep inside himself every day from now on. He wanted Iruka to stay with him, and he would do anything to assure that.

----- ----- -----

“You can’t do that!”, Kakashi shouted.

“I can’t?”, Tsunade hissed back angrily. “And what makes you think that your Hokage can’t assign you a mission? It’s my damn job to tell you what to do to do your damn job.”

“But… but I already have a mission”, Kakashi argued. “I take care of Iruka.” He should have known that being called without Iruka would mean trouble, he should have known that. His life never went smooth.

“I will have somebody substitute for you while you’re gone. This mission is urgent and it requires your abilities.”

“You can’t do that! We’re… I… He’s already used to me! It will hinder his recovery process if-”

“Listen, brat”, the Sannin growled. “I am the medic of the two of us, understand? And you can be sure that I know what’s best for my patients.”

“But Iruka-”

“He will get along just as well with somebody else. And you will take that mission, do you hear me, shinobi?!”

“ I… Yes, Hokage-sama”, Kakashi forced out through gritted teeth. “I will leave immediately after I will have told Iruka that-”

“You will leave immediately, period.” Tsunade glared at him. “I will inform Iruka-sensei.”

“But-”

“Leave!”

“Yes… Hokage… sama…” Kakashi balled his hands to fists outrageously. He knew perfectly well that it wasn’t right to blame the Sannin for separating him from Iruka, knew perfectly well that it was just his bad luck again. But damn, couldn’t that woman see underneath the underneath?!

-----

“I’m back, Hokage-sama.” Kakashi threw a bloody bag onto her desk, hearing its contents impact on the wood with a satisfying ‘thump’. “And I brought you a souvenir.”

“Hatake!”, Tsunade shouted, looking wide-eyed at the bloody cloth staining her papers on the desk. “What’s that?”

“You said you wanted his head”, the Copy-nin told her coldly. “I’m shinobi. I always follow my orders.” Especially if he was pissed and deprived of a certain kind of warmth.

“You… you… Say that’s not true!”

“How’s Iruka?”, Kakashi just asked. The Chuunin had been the only thing he had been able to think of outside of fights. He’d even dreamed of him – of his voice and his face on good nights and of losing him because he couldn’t be with him on bad ones.

“He’s fine!”, Tsunade spat. “He’s perfect without you! He’s making progress every day, if a little slow.”

“A little slow? Why?”, Kakashi asked worriedly.

“God, don’t over-exaggerate it, brat! Everything’s fine with him! Raidou takes good ca-”

Kakashi didn’t hear more when he jumped out of the window and sprinted over the roofs towards Iruka’s apartment.

Raidou!

-----

Panting a little from almost pushing his already exhausted body too much, Kakashi silently entered the Chuunin’s apartment through the window of his living room, his chakra masked. He glanced around and caught side of his enemy sitting on the couch, seemingly asleep. The Copy-nin slowly inched closer and drew a kunai out of his weapon pouch, then held it onto his opponent’s throat, his other hand over his mouth.

“Wake up!”, Kakashi hissed.

“Hm?”, Raidou questioned sleepily, then woke with a start, his hands flying to his weapon pouch.

“Don’t you dare move!”, Kakashi growled. “And no shouting, understand?” He lifted his hand from the other’s mouth.

“Kakashi-san?”, Raidou asked in surprise. “What are you-”

“What did you do with him?”, the Copy-nin interrupted him. “Where is he?”

“Iruka?”, Raidou guessed. “He’s in his bedroom, folding laundry, I think. But why are you-”

“What did you do to him while I was gone?”

“What… I didn’t do anything to him.”

“Did you touch him?!”, Kakashi growled.

“I… what… No.”

“Did you try?!”

“No! Kakashi-san, what-” Raidou broke off suddenly and gasped.

“What?!”

“So it’s true…” The scarred Jounin grinned despite the blade on his throat.

“What?”, Kakashi hissed.

“You fell for him.” Raidou shook his head, but stopped immediately when he cut himself slightly. “Hey, you can calm down now. I won’t try to take him from you.”

“Sure”, Kakashi snorted. “I know what you said to him. I know that you want him back.” But Iruka was his now, his.

“And you think I would take advantage of him while he’s like this?” Raidou sighed. “Kakashi-san, I’m not a monster. I would never hurt Iruka.”

“Don’t you dare”, the Copy-nin hissed but removed the blade slowly. “What happened while I was gone?”

“I took care of him, nothing more”, Raidou assured. “I just came over and looked after him, went shopping for him and kept him company and such. I didn’t even sleep here. And I swear I didn’t touch him.”

“You better not.” Kakashi went through the room and sat down on a chair opposite to the other Jounin, still glaring heatedly. If that Raidou had touched Iruka…

“I didn’t. And I didn’t try to take him from you either.” Raidou smiled and shook his head. “I don’t think I could have, even if I had tried. He’s completely head over heels for you, you know.”

Kakashi just snorted, but the words did make him feel warmer inside than he had for days.

“When I first came here and told him that you had to leave on a mission, I almost expected him to cry, so sad did he look”, Raidou said softly. “And then he asked if you would come back to him. I said that you would, but I’m not sure if he believed me.” He shook his head. “And in the following days, he talked less and less. He almost always sat on the windowsill over there and looked out, no matter if it was night or day. I guess he was waiting for you.”

Kakashi looked at his hands, guilt burning inside him. He hadn’t wanted Iruka to be sad because of him. He hadn’t wanted to go on that mission, but he had had to go.

“He will be happy that you’re back finally”, he heard the other Jounin say.

Kakashi nodded. “I know.” He would do everything he could to apologise for having made Iruka unhappy. He would make Iruka smile all day now and-

“You have to make him happy.”

The Copy-nin looked up at the sudden harsh tone in the other’s voice. “What?”

“Listen, Kakashi-san.” Raidou looked at him seriously. “Iruka’s probably the best person you’ll ever meet. You know that and I know that, and believe me, there are many others knowing that. And just in case we get to know that somebody hurt Iruka in any way… let’s say it won’t be pretty.”

“Are you trying to threaten me?”, Kakashi asked, his voice a dangerous whisper.

“I’m not trying”, Raidou gave back, unimpressed. “I am threatening you. Hurt Iruka and you will have to face the consequences, Copy-nin or not.” He tilted his head to the side slightly. “Kakashi-san, I was stupid to let go of Iruka once, and I know that I hurt him with it. But that doesn’t mean that I’m stupid enough to allow anybody else to make him sad. I will not let that happen, do you understand?”

Kakashi looked at him for a while, trying to decide whether he should laugh about the ridiculousness of the situation or be angry at the other Jounin for assuming he would hurt Iruka intentionally. Another look at Raidou’s serious face convinced him to laugh softly.

“You don’t have to worry, Raidou-san.” Kakashi shook his head. “I’m supposed to be a genius. I can see when there’s something impossibly good offered to me.”

Raidou first only looked at him, but then the scarred Jounin smiled softly. “Yes”, he sighed. “You see it.” He shook his head and sighed again. “I wished I did.”

“You left him”, Kakashi reminded him harshly. “You hurt him.” And nobody was allowed to do that, never, nobody was-

“I know.” Raidou smiled sadly. “I was so stupid. So… so insecure.”

“Insecure?!”, Kakashi asked incredulously. But stupid – yes, definitely.

“I… I was…” Raidou took a deep breath. “When I first met Iruka… it was his birthday party, he had just turned twenty-two, and Anko dragged me with her and introduced us. I immediately thought that he was… nice. Pleasant. And then…” A snort. “Well, you probably know that, Kakashi-san. There was alcohol, and suddenly I had a rather… enthusiastic Chuunin on my lap, kissing the living dayl-”

“Yes.” Kakashi glared. He so didn’t want to hear that.

“Ah, right. Sorry.” Raidou scratched his head sheepishly. “However. Nothing happened apart from kissing, and the next morning, Iruka asked me, ‘What do you want now?’ Just that. And I… I thought, what the hell, he’s nice, cute and that all, little bit young maybe, but overall fun. And thus I asked him to date me.” He shrugged. “Went fine, everything. He worried himself sick whenever I went out on missions and I felt wanted. He smiled when I came back and I felt better, no matter what had happened before.”

“But still you left him for someone else”, Kakashi growled.

“I told him that, didn’t I?” Raidou smiled sadly. “We’d been dating for three months already when I noticed that I had… changed. I came back to the village and had to see him. Not wanted to see him but had to. I had to see him happy, had to make him smile, had to see him every day, had to have him around as often as possible, and that… it frightened me.”

“It frightened you?!” Kakashi stared. What was frightening about that?!

“It frightened me. I… I realised that somewhere, somehow, Iruka had started to become everything for me. That young, innocent, cute little Chuunin I had thought was smitten for me in some kind of puppy love was on his best way to become the center of my life. And I, who I was older and therefore supposedly more mature, was frightened to my bones, so frightened that I lied to him, told him I had found someone else to run away from him and hide in my apartment for the next week.”

“You… you…” Kakashi wasn’t sure whether he should laugh or yell, or maybe even cry.

“I was so stupid.” Raidou swallowed hard. “I was so insecure about myself that I wasn’t sure if I could accept to live for him. I didn’t see that in return, he would have lived for me, that he some day had decided that he was willing to let me become everything for him. And now…” He sighed. “And now it’s too late. Now he chose to give you the chance to become everything for him.”

Kakashi looked down at his hands. Being everything for Iruka, the center of the Chuunin’s life… He found that he wanted that, that somehow Iruka had brought him to want to be that, to have to be that. But the thought didn’t frighten him but… but made him feel determined, warm, tingling all over, and so many more things at once.

“Promise me not to hurt him?”, Raidou asked softly, almost pleaded. “The last days, he… he only ever smiled when he talked about you. And his eyes, they were glowing whenever he thought of you. I can’t remember ever having seen him look at me like that, so… Kakashi-san? Promise me to never hurt Iruka?”

“I… I promise”, the Copy-nin whispered hoarsely.

“Good. Good.” Raidou smiled softly. “I think we-” He broke off and turned around when the door to the bedroom opened.

Kakashi immediately jumped up from his chair when he saw Iruka enter the room, a huge pile of folded laundry in his arms. The Chuunin didn’t look their way, just moved towards a cupboard and carefully put away some sheets. His face was almost blank and sad while doing that, and the sight hurt in the Copy-nin’s chest.

“Iruka”, he whispered softly. “Iruka, I’m back.”

Iruka lifted his head slowly until he looked at him, then he blinked. Once. Twice. Suddenly, the Chuunin gasped and let the rest of the laundry fall from his hands.

“Iruka.” Kakashi smiled softly. “Iruka, I’m back from my mission. I will stay with you again if you wa- would like me to.”

“Kakashi”, Iruka whispered, then he suddenly ran through the room and threw himself into the Jounin’s arms, wrapping his own around his neck. “Kakashi”, he repeated, “Kakashi.”

“Iruka”, Kakashi murmured back and buried his face into the other’s neck, inhaling his familiar, soothing scent deeply. “I missed you.”

“I… I missed you.” The Chuunin tightened his hold. “I thought… I thought you wouldn’t come back to me.” He gasped softly and buried his head against the Copy-nin’s chest, his body shaking.

“Shh”, Kakashi tried to soothe him while he felt every muffled gasp hurt in his chest. “Everything’s fine. It needs more than some missing nins to kill me.”

“But I- I- I was af-fraid that you c-could be killed”, Iruka sobbed softly against his chest. “And I also th-thought that… that when you- you- you come b-back, you m-maybe wouldn’t come b-b-back to m-me afterw-wards.”

“But why shouldn’t I?” Now that he had somebody waiting for him? Somebody who was everything for him?

“Bec-cause you didn’t s-say goodbye. You didn’t tell me that y-you would come back. And they s-sent Raidou to lo-lo-look after m-me. I th-thought you- you didn’t r-really l-like me and didn’t int-tend t-to come b-back to m-me. Because y-you d-didn’t say g-g-goodbye.” Iruka tightened his hold. “A-a-and m-my pa-parents didn’t say g-goodbye either. For th-the only t-time when… when… when they d-didn’t c-c-come back…”

“Oh, Iruka.” Kakashi hugged him tighter. “I’m so sorry. I wa- I wished I could have said goodbye to you and told you that I would come back to you, but I couldn’t. Tsunade-sa- The mission was urgent.”

“M-hm.” The Chuunin nodded against his chest, still shaking but slowly calming down. “R-Raidou said so, too. Bu-but still…”

“I’m sorry.” Kakashi moved his head and placed a soft masked kiss on the Chuunin’s temple. “I promise I will never leave again without saying goodbye to you.”

“And… and come back to me?”, Iruka whispered.

“Yes.” The Copy-nin smiled. “And I will promise you to do my best to come back to you every time.” He looked up when the apartment door opened, but only saw Raidou wave at him before the Jounin left and closed the door again.

“Please…” Iruka tilted his head up and kissed his masked lips. “Please come back to me.”

“I will”, Kakashi whispered and kissed him back. “I promise.” He had to. And he wanted that.

----- ----- -----

“Greetings to you, Honourable Former Teacher of my Beloved Students!”

Kakashi flinched. Perfect. Just what he needed for a nice, calm Sunday afternoon with Iruka. He slowly shook most of the water and soap from his hands before he pulled up his mask, opened a cupboard and took three more kitchen sponges out, then soaked them in the sink. Calmly, he continued to clean the dishes then while pondering and calculating angles from his position to his self-declared rival’s. Then he made a half-step to the left and nodded to himself.

“Good afternoon, Gai-sensei”, he heard Iruka through the open door to the living room. “How are you today?”

“I am in the Springtime of my Youth!”, the Green Beast declared, and Kakashi knew he was missing a good-guy pose. Poor him.

“That’s good to hear.” How Iruka could keep a straight voice to that was completely beyond the Copy-nin.

“I heard that my Honoured Eternal Rival is with you, Iruka-sensei!”, Gai continued. “Is that true?!”

“It is. Kakashi’s in the kitchen.”

“That is marvellous! I wan-”

Phlatsh!

Two gasps.

“Gai, did you talk to Tsunade-sama lately?”, Kakashi asked calmly while he took a new sponge to resume his cleaning.

“My Eternal Rival!”, Gai exclaimed. “How can you use such Dishonourable Methods as to throw something at me from a hidden position?!”

“I didn’t w- like to water the floor by carrying it”, Kakashi declared. “Did you talk to Tsunade-sama lately?”

“To our Honoured Hokage?! Why do you wa-”

Splutsh!

“Gai, please come in here.” Aaand a new sponge. Maybe he should get more? Or try to let the next one rebound from a wall? That would be fun.

“My Eternal Rival! I am shocked! How can you-”

“Come here, Gai.” Now or there would be a third Incredible Flying Sponge of Chuunin Protection.

“You will explain this to me, my Rival!”, the Green Beast declared while he entered the kitchen, rather sodden. “Such Unacceptable Behaviour for a Noble Shinobi!”

“Gai.”

“Yes, my Rival?!”

“Gai, did you hear what happened to Iruka-sensei?”

“Something happened to Iruka-sensei?! Do you mean some Mean Villain dared to harm the former teacher of my Beloved Students?! I will-” Gai frowned. “Now I remember!”, he declared then. “You are talking about the Filthy and Dishonourable Attack on the Gentle and Faithful Iruka-sensei! I have never seen such a-”

“Yes, you’re perfectly right, Gai”, Kakashi interrupted. “And then you probably know that there’s a certain word that he’s not to hear, right?”

“Yes, my Rival! Tsunade-sama, our Beloved Hokage, told me about it just in case I should have to take care of our Beloved Iruka-sensei!”

“What?”, Kakashi hissed. “When will you do that?” Did she plan to send him on a mission again soon? Away from Iruka? And then let Gai take care of the Chuunin? He wouldn’t let that happen, he would-

“She informed me just in case, my Rival!”, Gai boomed. “But I am deeply hurt that you seem to think that I could not Master that Challenge with the Strength of my Youth!”

“I didn’t think that, Gai”, Kakashi sighed. “I just…” He sighed again. “I take care of Iruka.” And nobody else!

“It is Truly Admirable that you take your Honourable Mission to defend Iruka-sensei so seriously, my Rival! I am sure that Iruka-sensei is very grateful for you Youthful Help!”

“I am”, Iruka declared suddenly and appeared behind the Green Beast. “Although I would prefer not to get soaked.” He held the slightly soggy front of his shirt away from his chest with his left hand, carrying the two dripping sponges in the other. “Ever heard of splashes?”, he asked Kakashi while he let the sponges fall into the sink.

“Oops?”, the Jounin tried, grinning. He would be lying if he said that he didn’t like to see Iruka in a wet shirt.

“Ramen from Ichiraku’s as an apology, and I’m placated”, Iruka offered, grinning back.

“Deal.” Kakashi’s grin broadened.

“Perfect.” Iruka took a step closer and gave his masked lips a quick kiss before he disappeared into the living room again.

Kakashi slowly turned around to the sink again and continued to clean. He was quite curious how long it would take Gai to stop gaping and start… whatever Gai-like thing he would do. The Copy-nin was hoping for a mature reaction, but-

“How long already, my Rival?”, Gai asked in a calm tone, very unlike his usual exuberant self.

“Iruka decided to do that quite soon”, Kakashi gave back, equally calm. “I needed more time to understand that it’s…” Perfect. Best. All he wanted. What had been missing before. “… good.”

“So you… want it?”, Gai asked in a low whisper that didn’t quite manage to conceal the threat.

Kakashi smiled softly. So Gai, too… He wondered who was part of the Iruka Protection Brigade else.

“I do. And Iruka does, too. I let him set the pace.” Kakashi looked at the other Jounin. “To make sure that he’s fine with it and doesn’t feel… taken advantage of.”

Gai looked at him for a long time, but then suddenly a bright, almost blinding smile spread on his face. “My Eternal Rival!”, he exclaimed. “It fills my Youthful Heart with Happiness and Joy to see you so Youthfully Devoted to take care of our Beloved Iruka-sensei!” A river of manly tears flowed from his eyes. “You have my Blessings!”

Kakashi cringed. “Thank you, Gai.”

“And I will no longer interrupt your Tender Bonding, my Eternal Rival! We will hold our Honourable Challenge at a better time!” He turned and stormed out of the kitchen. “And you, my Faithful Iruka-sensei”, Kakashi heard him boom in the living room, “do not be afraid of anything! My Eternal Rival will make sure that you are Safe and Sound in your Youthful… Youth!”

And then there was silence.

“Did he just give us his blessings?”, Iruka asked through the door.

“Did sound like that…” Kakashi shook his head.

“Hm. Nice.” A snigger. “I take it we found the one to give you away as my bride already.”

Kakashi gasped in surprise, then again in pain when a spoon fell from his hand and landed on his bare foot.

But Iruka’s rich, joyful, lively laughter and the apologetic kiss that followed completely made up for it.

----- ----- -----

“Give it back!”, Kakashi laughed, then laughed more when the command didn’t impress his opponent in the slightest.

“No!” Iruka jumped over the back of the couch and out of his reach. “You don’t even read it. You only pretend to”, he shouted, a broad grin on his face.

“I read it”, Kakashi contradicted. “You just don’t look close enough.” He ran around the couch to catch the Chuunin, but Iruka escaped his hands in the last moment, laughing delightfully.

“I looked close enough. You just stare at the pages and when I don’t look, you look at me.” Iruka gracefully danced backwards, waving the book in front of his face.

“In your dreams!” Kakashi grinned. He hadn’t had this much fun in years. In fact, he couldn’t even remember when he’d ever had this much fun, when he’d ever been able to be this free and exuberant with another person. But with Iruka he suddenly could. The Chuunin seemed to be able to give him the chance to live finally.

“You look at me.” Iruka laughed. “And I don’t know why you pretend not t-” He gasped when his back hit the wall of the living room.

“Gotcha.” Kakashi grinned triumphantly while he moved closer. “Did you really think that you could steal my precious novel and then get away with it?”

“‘Precious novel’?” The Chuunin snorted. “You certainly don’t talk about this dirty piece of… of… of adult reading material?” He faked a dodge to the left and then darted away to the right.

“No, you don’t.” Kakashi reached out quickly and caught him around the waist, then pulled him close, the Chuunin’s back against his chest. “Give me my book or I tickle you.”

“Tickle me and I throw it out of the window”, Iruka threatened, grinning broadly.

“The window’s closed”, Kakashi deadpanned. “Think of something better.” He pulled him closer. Mmmh… Iruka was always so warm, smelled so good.

“Tickle me and I won’t let go of the book, turn around and kiss you?”, the Chuunin offered.

“Now we’re negotiating.” Kakashi took the book from his hand, threw it onto the couch and turned the Chuunin around in his arms. He leaned forward slowly, waited impatiently until Iruka pulled down his mask, and then pressed his lips against the awaiting ones. When he felt arms around his neck, he sighed contently and closed his eyes. This was bliss…

When suddenly a warm tongue lapped gently at his lips, he jumped a little in surprise, but then opened his mouth slowly. To his mild surprise, Iruka just kept licking at his lower lip, barely slipping into his mouth, until Kakashi slid his own tongue out and let it be coaxed into the Chuunin’s mouth to explore it thoroughly. And then he just listened to Iruka sigh softly, just felt the Chuunin’s body close to his, just relished in every single sensation Iruka caused inside him without a care about anything but the man in his arms. Was there even more than Iruka?

As absorbed as he was, he only heard the knocking on the window when it was loud enough to probably shake the glass. Kakashi jumped and wanted to turn around, but found his head held immobile by Iruka’s hands.

“Your mask”, the Chuunin whispered.

“Right.” Kakashi nodded and hastily pulled the cloth over his face, then turned around to the window to face-

“My office! Now!”, a very angry Tsunade yelled.

Kakashi flinched. Damn!

-----

“How could you dare?!”, the Sannin shouted the moment the door closed behind Kakashi and Iruka. “Hatake, I will-”

“Kakashi didn’t do anything wrong”, Iruka interrupted her suddenly. “I wan-” He frowned and broke off. “I… I…”

“You see?!”, Tsunade yelled at the Copy-nin. “You took advantage of him and-”

“I didn’t”, Kakashi defended himself. “He wa- likes it!”

“Sure.” Tsunade snorted.

“He likes me”, Kakashi murmured defiantly.

“I don’t give a damn”, the Sannin told him. “He’s not himself. You can’t just do with him as you wa- wish!”

“I don’t do that!”, Kakashi shouted. “I only do what Iruka allows me to do!”

“And you think that he knows what he’s doing?” Tsunade glared at him. “What if the jutsu only makes him do what he thinks you would like him to do?”

“I… but I…” The Jounin stared at her disbelievingly. But that couldn’t be. That just couldn’t be. Iruka wanted to be with him, didn’t he? Iruka wanted to be his… his… his precious person, his important person. His everything.

Or didn’t he?

“I like Kakashi”, Iruka murmured. “And I like to kiss him, too. He didn’t force me to. And he promised to never take advantage of me again and-” He broke off and gasped.

“‘Again’?”, Tsunade asked, her voice dangerously low.

“I… I… I didn’t mean to do it. I didn’t realise what I did to him at first”, Kakashi assured. “And I will never-”

“What did you do?”, the Sannin hissed.

“I… On the first day I used the word and made him massage my neck and cook dinner for me”, Kakashi confessed, looking down to the floor and blushing deeply in shame. “That was before I realised what I did to Iruka when-”

“Out”, Tsunade whispered. “Out, Hatake. I don’t wa-” She growled. “You won’t come under my eyes again for the next days.”

“Yes, Hokage-sama”, Kakashi whispered.

“And you won’t come near Iruka-sensei again.”

“No!”, Kakashi gasped. “No, please, I need-”

“I don’t care what you need!”, Tsunade yelled. “You won’t come near him ever again until he’s recovered completely again! And now out!”

“But Hokage-sama, I-”

“OUT!”

“But Tsunade-sama.” Iruka reached his hand out to Kakashi and gripped his sleeve. “But I don’t… I… Please, can’t Kakashi stay with me?” Tears formed in his eyes and rolled over his cheeks. “I feel safe when he’s with me. And he promised to never leave me and-”

“It’s for your best, Iruka-sensei”, Tsunade told him. “He’s not good for you.”

“But Tsunade-sama”, the Chuunin choked out, “I… I don’t… I don’t know what to do without him. Kakashi’s always there for me and he helps me and he cares about me and-”

“There will be no discussion, Iruka-sensei”, the Sannin said gently. “You will understand it when you’ll have recovered again.”

“But… but…” Iruka hurried towards Kakashi and embraced him, his body shaking. “Please don’t force him to leave me”, he whispered. “Please don’t leave me, Kakashi.”

“You will leave immediately, Hatake”, Tsunade told him. “Now.”

“I’m sorry, Iruka”, Kakashi whispered, his throat thick. “I’m sorry.” He gently lifted the Chuunin’s chin and smiled sadly. “I promise I will come back to you when you’ll have recovered completely again. If you still w- like me then, I will come back to you again. I promise, Iruka, I promise.”

“Don’t leave me, Kakashi.” Iruka buried his head against his chest again. “You promised to never leave me.”

“Iruka, I-”

“Hatake”, Tsunade interrupted him. “You will leave now or I will call ANBU to escort you to your apartment.”

“Yes, Hokage-sama.” Kakashi swallowed hard and reluctantly freed himself from Iruka’s arms, then closed his eyes and formed the seals to transport him to his cold, empty apartment. Like this, he didn’t have to see the tears in Iruka’s eyes, but he could still hear the sobs that ripped his soul apart. Or what was left of it.

----- ----- -----

Kakashi looked at his reflection in the bathroom mirror, saw skin even paler than usual, a bloodshed eye and a trail of tears flowing out from his other, closed eye. Stupid Obito to cry about this like a baby. Stupid Obito to cry when Kakashi desperately tried not to, when Kakashi was about to break.

“What if she is right?”, he whispered. “What if Iruka doesn’t want to be with me at all? What if he just acts like he does because he senses that it’s what I want and the jutsu makes him obey to my wishes?”

His reflection didn’t answer, just kept looking at him and crying.

“What if I don’t deserve him? What if I’m not worth him?” Kakashi laughed humourlessly. “Wait, I know that I’m not worth him. But what if he realises that one day? Or what if he never liked me? And just said he did because I was there and needed it?” He shook his head.

“But he started it”, he continued. “He was the one who started… this. He came close and kissed me and told me that he didn’t care about anything and that he… that he liked me. He said that he has liked me for months by now. But how could he? What’s in me to like? I can’t think of anything that’s worth liking about me, and I should know me best. But… but maybe he still does…” The Jounin sighed.

“I shouldn’t think of him anymore. I’m not allowed to see him anymore, and it’s probably better like this. Better for him. And when he’s recovered again… then…” Kakashi swallowed. “Then he won’t want me anymore… and it will be better like that. Better for him. And… and… and that’s all I want. I w-want him to… to have what’s best for h-him. And- and- and I’m… and I’m not what’s b-best… I’m-”

A knock at the door made him jump.

His heart pounding from the shock, Kakashi hastily rubbed his face, then pulled up his mask and put on his hitai-ate to hide most of his pain. A look into the mirror showed that he still looked exactly how he felt, but whoever was at the door would have to live with that. Taking another deep breath, the Jounin made his way through his apartment to his door, steeling himself before he took the doorknob and opened.

“Yo”, Iruka greeted him, grinning broadly and waving.

Kakashi stared at him, completely frozen. This… this couldn’t be. This was just a dream, or a cruel joke. Iruka couldn’t be here, he just couldn’t. And it didn’t matter that Kakashi could feel his heart beat faster and faster and faster in hope.

“I ran away”, Iruka declared happily. “Or better, Raidou let me run away. He even told me where I could find your apartment.” He walked around the stunned Copy-nin and entered his apartment, then looked around. “Nice. Bit small.”

“Iruka?”, Kakashi whispered, turned towards him and closed the door absentmindedly. God, he hoped so much that this was no dream, no joke, no illusion.

“I don’t care what Tsunade-sama says.” The Chuunin frowned angrily. “She doesn’t understand anything. You would never hurt me, I know that.”

“Iruka, how… how did you get here?”

“I walked.” Iruka grinned again. “How did you think I came here?”

“But… on your own?!”, Kakashi gasped. “What if somebody had said the word to you?”

“I had these.” Iruka took something out of his pocket. “Earplugs. Ain’t I super-sneaky?” He grinned even broader before he closed the space between himself and the Jounin and wrapped his arms around his waist. “I’m happy now”, he whispered. “Very happy.”

“Iruka”, Kakashi whispered back before he embraced him tightly enough to make him gasp. “Iruka, you… you came to me.”

“But sure.” The Chuunin placed his head against his shoulder. “I thought that if you aren’t allowed to stay with me, I could go and just stay with you.” He grinned. “Can I hide from Tsunade-sama here please?”

“Yes.” Kakashi smiled broadly, overly happy. “You can hide here. Just stay here with me.”

“Perfect.” Iruka lifted his head and looked at him. “Kiss?”

“Perfect.” Kakashi hastily yanked down his mask and captured the Chuunin’s lips with his, tightening his embrace even more. He could feel Iruka open his mouth instantly and let his tongue delve in and taste what was offered to him happily. Iruka had come to him on his own accord, had even disobeyed the Hokage just to be with him. That meant that Tsunade had been wrong, right? It meant that Iruka really wanted to be with him and didn’t only react to the jutsu and his desires. Right?

“What do you think will Tsunade-sama do when she finds out that I’m here?”, Iruka asked softly.

“I don’t care.” Kakashi nuzzled his cheek with his nose. “We won’t let her separate us again.” Now that the Chuunin was with him again, had come to him, he felt as if he could take on the Sannin, the whole world even, completely on his own.

“No”, Iruka whispered. “We won’t let that happen. Together, Kakashi?”

“But sure.” The Jounin grinned, feeling relief and happiness and joy and warmth flood his body. “Together we’ll find a way. And she won’t be able to stop us.”

“Sounds good.” Iruka smiled.

----- ----- ----- ----- -----


AN:
I’m terribly sorry for the long delay. Real life’s been trouble and furthermore somebody wanted to hear more about Iruka and Raidou’s relationship, so I had to change ‘Well, I thought I found someone better but was wrong, poor me’ to what you just read. I like this Raidou better though, so I think it was definitely worth the trouble.

Nayru