Divided Loyalty

A/N: I had a little writer's block for this chapter, but in the end I think it turned out alright. :)



CHAPTER 3







Tracking down his former student and his lover proved to be more difficult than he had expected. Nagato and Kakashi seemed to always be on the move, even if, from what he could tell, the first six months they hadn’t been as mobile. Initially they had spent one, maximum two months with each doctor, and making those people talk was like pulling teeth – apparently Nagato had paid them well for their silence.



Minato, though, wasn’t someone to be deterred by a civillian’s silence – after all, he was a Ninja and he knew how to make people sing, even without necessary using torture. Occasionally his sheer presence was enough to make the doctors tell him what he wanted to know. And when they didn’t, he paid them generously for their information. If that didn’t work, well, he wasn’t above breaking a few noses to get the job done.



As he moved from town to town, and doctor to doctor, he began to have a clearer picture of Kakashi’s condition, and it only filled him with revulsion and anger – towards the bastards who had done that to him, towards Nagato, for allowing it, and towards himself, because he knew that through his actions he had practically pushed Kakashi in the arms of someone like the former Akatsuki Leader.



‘He needed you, your approval, your attention, your forgiveness, after Obito died, and you denied him all of that. You made him live with that guilt, just like you lived with yours.’ Minato thought bitterly. And that wasn’t nearly the only time he had wronged Kakashi. The second time… no, he didn’t want to think about that. Not now. ‘I will take care of him, this time. I won’t let anyone else to hurt him.’



This, of course, led him back to Kakashi’s lover. He had very conflicting feelings for this man, who had killed their Sensei, who had become his student’s lover and had put him in such a terrible situation, but who was also taking care of him despite the cost for himself, unable to flee at the speed he needed to be really safe because Kakashi’s injuries slowed them both down. He hadn’t abandoned him, like so many others would’ve done. ‘Like I did.’ Minato thought bitterly, the old guilt gnawing at him all over again. ‘What happened to Kakashi is both our fault, Nagato’s and mine. His, because he used him, and mine, because I hurt him so profoundly. I owe him so much.’



He had no doubts that once he found them, he would take care of Kakashi. Question was, what to do with the other? From Naruto’s account, he had lost all of the power he had once possessed, and was now little more than an ordinary Ninja, one who knew little hand to hand combat at that. If it came to that, Minato knew that he could take him out without too much trouble. Question was, should he do it? Should he kill him? He certainly wanted to do that, if only to punish the one who was responsible for Jiraiya-sensei’s death. But if he did that, Kakashi would be hurt. Everything that he had heard so far indicated that his student was deeply attached to the man, often allowing doctors to touch him only if he was in the room and encouraged him, held him, talked to him. The affection between them was undeniable. Did he, Minato, have the right to pursue justice for Jiraiya, knowing that in this way, he’d only hurt his student yet again?



Nagato’s worries were of a different kind, but no less pressing. He needed to move them both out of the town where they were staying, and move them fast. For the past day someone had watched him, he was sure of it, the intense scrutiny making his nape tingle. He knew that feeling, knew it all too well – hunter Nins, sent by any of the villages which wanted both him and Kakashi dead. They were in town, closing in on them, too fast for his liking. So far, he had had several such close calls, but he had always managed to get Kakashi and flee on time, just under their noses. This time, he wasn’t so sure.



He spent the next two hours inspecting all the town exits and found them to be under surveillance, his honed senses noting the men and women who pretended to be traders and merchants but walked ramrod straight and far too silent to be whom they said they were.



He turned on his heel and after wandering seemingly aimlessly in order to shake whatever tail he possibly had finally returned to the tenant building. He found Kakashi exercising and that lifted his mood a little, knowing how important it was for his lover to move his crippled limbs, to return at least partial mobility to them. Kakashi seemed to understand that too, and spent his days stretching, as much as that was possible, and moving also as much as possible, in the rather confined space of their room. Whether he did it from genuine wish to get better or from desire to become useful, Nagato didn’t know, and that worried him. Either way, the physical exercise had worked – only a few weeks ago he had exchanged the crutches he used for a cane and the fingers of his left hand, the one that had been hurt less, began folding all the way, though he still had very little precision when doing anything that required precision.



Physical therapy, unaided by a Medic Nin, could only get him so far, and they both knew that.



He turned when he heard Nagato opening the door and blinked in surprise – he wasn’t used to him getting back so early.



“We need to pack.” Nagato said without preamble. “They are here.”



A shadow passed over Kakashi’s face at those words. Nagato looked away and moved to the bed, quickly folding what few clothes they had and stuffing them in a bagpack. He didn’t want to see it – the crippling terror that Kakashi couldn’t hide when the Hunter Nins were mentioned.



He could hear the former Jounin moving – graceless and jerky, leaning on his cane, helping with the packing as much as he could, putting all his medicines in a small nylon bag and stuffing it with the clothes.



“Where to?” he asked in a minute.



“All the exits of the town are watched.” Nagato answered, fighting to keep his voice calm.



“The harbour then.” Kakashi suggested and Nagato paused. That was a logical choice, but weren’t they herded there? With all exits closed, it was the only place they could go, and their hunters knew it. Kakashi seemed to have reached the same conclusion, because he was frowning at their luggage. “Didn’t you pay one of the captains there?”



Nagato had, and not only in money, but they couldn’t be sure that he’d be there when they went down to the harbour. What if he had departed? He swallowed, then closed his eyes and took a deep, calming breath. They had no choice. They had to go.



Finally, their luggage was gathered and Nagato quickly shouldered the bagpack, then wrapped an arm around Kakashi’s waist, knowing that he’d have to support him while they walked down the harbour. A cane would be too conspicuous. Kakashi had put on a hat, one of those silly things that fishermen often wore and it hid his pale hair quite well.



“Are you ready?” Nagato asked.



“Yes. Let’s go.”



The journey to the harbour, as short as it was, was tense and painful. Kakashi’s face was soon wet with sweat from the effort to walk as normal as he could, even with Nagato’s help, and Nagato’s nerves were frayed with worry that they weren’t moving fast enough.



Finally, they arrived. The harbour was relatively big, since the river it was constructed on was a major trade artery. A few miles downstream its estuary flowed into the ocean and from there all sorts of goods traveled to and from the islands – rare wood, cloth, minerals, exotic fish and fruit, spices and slaves, even if the last was forbidden by law.



Both Kakashi and Nagato sighed with relief when they saw their ship – an old, dingy merchant’s boat called “The Crazy Lulu”.



Nagato noticed that the crew was lowering the sails – that meant that they would soon depart. Desperate, he pulled Kakashi forward and his lover moved with surprising speed, his eagerness to be away from the Hunter Nins overcoming his pain. They limped their way up the ramp and got on board. The captain, a man well past his forties with salt and pepper hair and sideburns, dressed dark pants and pristine white shirt but smelling of tobacco and sweat, approached them.



“It’s you.” He said when he took a look at Nagato. The latter lifted his chin.



“We had a deal.”



“That we did.” Answered the captain thoughtfully then eyed Kakashi, his eyes traveling up and down his form. “And this is your… companion.”



Nagato nodded. Suddenly, the captains eyes moved from Kakashi to something behind them and Nagato turned his head to follow his gaze. His heart climbed in his throat in terror. It was the Hunter Nins, talking to the harbour manager, pointing to the ships at the docks. Kakashi’s face became ashen. They hadn’t noticed them yet, but it was only a matter of time. Both fugitives turned to the captain, their expressions pleading. The man was frowning, but finally said:



“Why don’t we go downstairs.”



Gratefully, they followed him out of the deck and to a smaller cabin adjacent to the captain’s. There they left Kakashi and their baggage and moved to the other one. Once the door was closed, the man turned furiously to Nagato:



“Those men were Ninja! NINJA! I could tell by the way they moved! What kind of trouble did you get me into?!”



Nagato lifted his chin again and glared:



“I paid you more than generously, didn’t I? Are you going to back out of our deal now?” he challenged.



“I should dump you both overboard to have the pack of wolves outside to fish you out!”



Desperate, Nagato moved closer and ran his hands over the man’s chest.



“You didn’t want to throw me overboard when you enjoyed my services last time, captain.” He leaned forward and rubbed his lips against his stubbled jaw, ignoring the stench of sweat. “This time, I’ll do a lot more than before. And I’ll keep doing it during the journey. What do you say?”



Large, calloused fingers slid down Nagato’s slender back to his behind and cupped him greedily.



“What about your friend, hmm? He looked quite pretty.”



Nagato stiffened and looked up, his expression turning serious.



“My friend is damaged and wouldn’t be able to satisfy you. I can do it. You know I can.” He nibbled on his ear. “I’ll do everything you want.” He whispered.



“Everything, hmm?”



“Yes.”



The captain pulled back.



“I have to go and give the order for departure. You wait here.”



Three hours later, Nagato returned to their cabin, feeling sore, tired, and with terrible taste in his mouth. However, he could tell that the ship was moving and that was all he cared about – they were taken away from the Hunter Nins, away from the people who would hurt his lover again if he gave them the chance.



Kakashi wasn’t sleeping. He was simply sitting on the bed, staring at the wall that separated this cabin from the captain’s, his expression unreadable. When Nagato entered, he slowly turned to look at him.



“Hi.” He said softly.



Nagato paused by the door.



“Hi.” He took a step forward, then another and sat down on the narrow bed. “I thought you’d be sleeping by now.”



There was a long, pregnant silence.



“The walls here are very thin.” Kakashi said quietly.



Nagato stiffened, the implications of Kakashi’s words sinking in. He looked down at his feet, not knowing what to say.



“It’s one thing to know that you’re doing this, completely another to witness it… in a way.” Kakashi continued. Nagato kept staring at his feet, feeling numb with apprehension.



“I don’t…. I don’t know what to say…”



Kakashi slid forward on the bed until he was sitting next to him, his legs hanging awkwardly off the edge, unable to completely bend them to reach the floor. His arm tentatively sneaked around Nagato’s elbow and the younger man laid his head on his shoulder.



“You should leave me behind.” He finally said.



“What? NO!” Nagato exclaimed.



“Why not!” Kakashi erupted. “I am slowing you down! I am… I am the reason why you have to do this, night after night, in order to pay to my doctors, for shelter, for food...! And what do you get out of it, huh?”



“Kakashi, I love you…” Nagato tried, but his lover would have none of it.



“I am damaged, you said it! I can’t work, I can’t fight… I can’t even satisfy you! Why would you want to keep me, when I am nothing but a burden!” he was shaking as he spoke, fury and pain twisting his face. “Look at me!”



Suddenly Nagato turned and grabbed his shoulders roughly:



“Listen to me, you dimwit! I love you! It has very little to do with sex, even if it was great, while we were doing it! You, you understood me, you accepted me as I was, damaged, twisted, full of anger… You made me into a better man!” he was shaking him roughly as he spoke, his voice hoarse with emotion. “I am not sorry that I have been doing what I had to do in order to keep us alive, and fed, and healthy!” Kakashi’s teeth chattered from being shaken so roughly “And I will continue to do so until I am sure we are safe!” he pulled Kakashi in his embrace, feeling the tremors that passed through the broken body. He began to tremble too. “I can’t go on without you. You’re the only one I have.” He whimpered.



They held each other even after the trembling subsided, Nagato rubbing gentle circles on Kakashi’s back.



“Are you angry?” he asked softly.



“What for?” Kakashi’s voice was muffled by Nagato’s shirt.



“By… by the way I am making money? Are you angry at me?” he realized that he sounded like a child caught doing something naughty by their parent, and the feeling he had was something similar to it, only much darker and more terrifying. Kakashi shook his head:



“No. Why should I? I would never blame you for it. I just can’t bear that you’re doing this because of me, letting these people hurt you like this because of me. I am not worth it.”



“Yes. You are. And more.” Nagato assured him and buried his face in his hair.









The Hunter Nin looked at Minato’s papers long and hard. The blonde was burning with impatience but he made an effort to look bored and disinterested.



“As I was saying, the new Hokage, to whom you answer now, is recalling the lot of you. I am the one who is entrusted with this mission.” He said.



The Hunter Nin, a young, dark-haired woman looked up at him and narrowed her eyes:



“I’ve never seen you before.”



Minato narrowed his eyes, confident that his disguise – a clever Genjutsu that introduced subtle changes to his facial structure and hair colour - made it impossible for her to recognize him for who he really was, since people only saw what they wanted to see, and that didn’t include dead Hokages.



“That’s because I wear a mask most of the time, silly.” He said and yawned. “Now, you and your subordinates should go back to the Village. Naruto-sama needs all available hands to help him fix all the damage. I will deal with our fugitives.”



“I have been following them for months now!” she protested. “And I know that they fled with a ship down the river. I am so close!”



“Yes, and me too, obviously.” Minato intoned slowly. “But the Hokage has ordered your recall. All of you. He expects me to do the job.”



She glowered at him, but eventually nodded.



“Very well. If he trusts you.”



“It’s not a matter of trust, commander. The Hokage holds you in very high regatd” there was no harm in stroking someone’s smarting ego, especially when you wanted them to cooperate with you. “Naruto-sama simply wants… a more personal touch for this mission. After all, one of these men killed Jiraiya-sama and destroyed Konoha, and the other was the very teacher who betrayed the Hokage. They both have much to answer for.”



She returned the papers to him.



“I see. As I said, they fled this town by ship, probably headed to one of the islands. I suggest that you move fast, because the raining season begins soon, and the islands will be cut off. No one there would want to sail in bad weather among the reefs that surround them.”



Minato nodded. That suited him just fine – Kakashi and his lover would have nowhere to run anymore.