Warlord

Chapter Thirty-Eight

Iruka skidded into the warlord’s tent and stopped, stricken at the sight before him. Kakashi looked almost frail swathed in bandages and lying so still in the large bed.

“He’s hanging on.” the medic said slowly, “It’s more than I expected frankly . . . the next twenty-four hours will tell the tale, that will mark five days since the injuries. If he hasn’t developed a fever by then I’ll feel confident he’ll survive. I have no idea however, if he’ll ever regain consciousness.”

The scribe slowly sank into the chair next to the bed, stroking lank silver strands off the pale forehead before leaning in to whisper “I’m here ‘kashi, I won’t leave you, I promise. Now you need to promise to stay with me . . .” tears streamed down his face unchecked, “Please come back to me beloved.” he whispered brokenly before falling silent, idly stroking his thumb over the back of the large hand he clutched almost desperately.

The medic shook his head disapprovingly. This sort of emotional display was unseemly. “Sir,” he began, placing a hand on Iruka’s shoulder, “this really isn’t appropriate. I’m sure the commander would not approve of . . .” he was cut off with a strangled squawk when Raidou’s heavy hand landed on his shoulder.

“I think these two could use some privacy.” he said sternly, steering the medic outside deftly before giving him a piece of his mind. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” he demanded as soon as the flap fell behind them.

“I was just trying to salvage the commander’s dignity.” the medic replied with a huff, “He doesn’t need his memory tainted by some sordid affair.”

The general took a deep calming breath before replying tightly, “Good gods man, he may be dying . . . like it or not those two are in love, and only a cruel bastard would deny them this time together.” he fixed the medic with a piercing stare, “Are you a cruel bastard?”

“No sir.” the medic replied with a gulp, “I didn’t fully understand the situation sir.” he said hesitantly, “I should go and check on my other patients.”

“You do that.” Raidou replied with satisfaction as the medic disappeared into the night. He lingered outside the tent, not wanting to disturb the couple, but unwilling to be too far away in case his friend’s condition worsened.

Iruka sighed deeply. He was glad the warlord was still holding on, but he was so badly injured . . . and even more frightening was how still the pale man lay. He squeezed the hand he was holding tightly, willing his strength into Kakashi even as he tried to prepare himself for the death of this man who had come to mean so much to him.

He stood and began pacing to try and work off his agitation, pausing by the worktable when an envelope with his name on it caught his eye.

Closer inspection revealed a stack of envelopes, all addressed to him. He picked one up and slit it open, pulling out the thick sheaf of paper inside.

‘My Dearest Iruka,’ it began, ‘There’s so much I want to say to you, but I don’t know how. I thought I could write it all down and then, one day when we’re together and I’m feeling brave I could give these letters to you so you’d know just how much I love you.’

Tears ran freely down the scribe’s face as he read words of confusion, anger and despair. . . and through it all ran a thread of such loving devotion that Iruka feared he could never live up to it. He finally dropped the pages and covered his face with his hands, shaking silently as he realized just how much his fear and indecision had hurt the warlord.

“You’ve given me so much ‘kashi,” he whispered fervently, “and all I’ve given you is heartache. I swear I’ll never leave your side again.” He ran his hand through his hair and decided to try and make the warlord more comfortable. He fetched a basin of cool water and a cloth and began to gently clean Kakashi’s exposed skin, tenderly scrubbing off the blood and dirt which remained from the accident. As he washed he sang the lullabies he’d been using to soothe baby Aoi, the now familiar melodies lending a sense of normality to the nightmarish situation.

Genma ghosted up behind Raidou and put his hands over the general’s eyes. “Guess who?” he asked with a chuckle.

“My interfering lover?” he inquired drily.

“No,” the courier replied with a large smirk, “your brilliant lover who brought the one person Hatake will wake up for.” he studied the large man carefully before he continued, “Are you jealous?”

“No I’m not.” Raidou replied hotly, “But it’s killing me to stand here and not be able to do anything. I’m glad we cleared the air before this happened though.” he finished soberly. “What I’m really worried about is screwing up . . . with Asuma and Kakashi both out of commission I’m making all the decisions on my own. To be honest,” he said, turning toward the courier and rubbing his hand over the back of his neck, “I really don’t want the responsibility. The men don’t trust me the way they do the commander . . . hell, I don’t trust me the way I do Hatake.”

“Stop it.” Genma said fiercely, “stop putting yourself down. You are doing an excellent job . . . casualties are still very low and we should be able to overpower the rest of the opposition very soon. And you are helping Kakashi by handling all of this for him.” he grasped Raidou’s shoulders and began to rub, “What you need is a massage.” the courier declared in his best ‘come hither’ voice “and I’m just the man who can give it to you.”

“I don’t want to leave . . . what if something happens?” the general said anxiously.

“If something happens Iruka will be there . . . and I don’t think he’s ready for company, although he may welcome it in a day or so.” Genma hesitated for a moment before continuing, “You won’t be helping anyone if you drop from exhaustion, so come on . . . you need a bath, a massage and some sleep, and I won’t take no for an answer.”

Raidou reluctantly allowed Genma to steer him to his tent. He stripped quickly and climbed into the tub, immediately relaxing into the warm water, head nodding and eyes growing heavy. The courier immediately began to scrub the larger man, slapping his hand away when he tried to help. “Let me do this for you.” Genma said seriously, “Please . . . I want to, so just relax.”

Once the general was clean, the smaller man helped him out of the tub and coaxed him to stretch out on the bed, moving to kneel beside him and begin rubbing his tense muscles. Raidou groaned as strong fingers found each knot and worked it until it eased. Before the massage was half done he was snoring blissfully.

Genma finished and surveyed the sleeping man with satisfaction. At least he’s finally relaxing, he thought, wish he could have stayed awake for some emotional stress relief. Next time, he decided with a leer before stretching out beside his lover and joining him in sleep.