Warlord

Chapter Fifty-Five

By the time they reached camp Kakashi was barely able to stay upright in the saddle. Iruka worriedly helped him down and into Raidou’s tent, deciding it was as good a place as any for the warlord to rest.

“‘ruka, I need to go find out what’s happening.” he rasped weakly.

“I’ll go find Genma since he’s not here and see if he has any news.” the scribe replied, “You need to rest until I get back, you’re just about ready to collapse.”

“Fine.” Kakashi muttered reluctantly, knowing that he was in no kind of shape for a confrontation and that Iruka was right.

After making some inquiries around camp the scribe ended up outside a strange tent. “Genma?” he called tentatively, “It’s Iruka . . . I need to talk to you.”

“Hello.” a strange voice responded, “I’m Aoshi . . . Genma will be out in just a minute, he’s getting dressed.”

“Oh,” the scribe replied, “I’m sorry to disturb you so early . . . the commander and I just arrived and I need to verify some things for him.”

“No problem.” Aoshi replied cheerily, “Although you might want to give him some coffee first . . . he had a good bit to drink last night.”

“Hey Iruka.” the courier remarked as he slipped out of the tent, “See you later Aoshi.”

“Come back here whenever you finish with Hatake and get some more sleep.” the dark haired man replied, “You’re always welcome.”

“Thank you.” Genma replied happily, “I really appreciate it.”

“As I appreciate you.” Aoshi said sweetly, pulling the courier in for a tender kiss before slipping back into the tent.

“So . . . what’s that all about?” Iruka asked, “I thought you and General Namiashi were an item.”

“Raidou only has eyes for the commander.” Genma replied bitterly, “I tried, but it was too painful always coming in second. Aoshi’s just a friend . . . but at least he values my company.”

“General Namiashi values you too.” the scribe stated bluntly, “Once things get back to normal you’ll see.”

“I’m afraid it’s too late for that.” the courier declared, “I’m not giving him any more opportunities to break my heart.”

Iruka nodded his head. “I understand.” he said sadly, “Although I’m sorry for both your sakes. Kakashi needs to talk to you.” he continued, changing the subject, “He’s worried about who took command when General Namiashi left.”

“I was worried about that too,” the courier admitted, “so I got Jiraiya to play leader until someone got back here. I have to admit I was expecting Sarutobi or Namiashi . . . not the commander. Is he really up to this?”

“No, not at all.” the scribe replied worriedly, “Unfortunately he didn’t feel like he had a choice. I left him in General Namiashi’s tent while I came to find you. I didn’t think having me drag him around camp would help his reputation.”

“Let’s get going then.” Genma decided, heading towards the one tent he thought he’d never enter again. “Hey Commander.” he greeted when they entered, “How was the ride?”

“I don’t envy you your job, that’s for sure.” he replied with a brittle laugh, “I don’t think I’ll be looking forward to riding for quite a while. What’s happened since Raidou left?” he asked next, abruptly changing the subject.

The courier ran through the event of the last day, although he left out Jiraiya’s confrontation with Itachi as he had slept through morning muster. “So . . . now I have to deal with the old pervert.” Kakashi muttered as he ran a hand through his hair, “When will things go easy for me?”

“Who’s Jiraiya?” the scribe asked, never having heard of the man before.

“He was a good friend of my father’s.” the warlord replied distractedly, “Although, to be honest, I am a bit surprised he supported me . . . he’s stayed well clear of all types of politics his entire career.”

“I’m sure it’s because he knows you’re a better choice than the men who would overthrow you.” Iruka said supportively

“More likely just so he could get Genma out of his face.” Kakashi said with a weary chuckle, “I’m sure he’ll be more than happy to go back to sleeping through muster.” He turned to the courier and continued “Thank you for your loyalty and quick thinking Genma . . . if you hadn’t acted as you did we would surely have a disaster on our hands. I think you’ve earned a jump in rank . . . I need trustworthy men close to me.”

“Thank you commander.” the courier replied with a huge grin, “I appreciate it.”

“See ‘ruka,” the warlord said as he turned to his lover, “that’s why my policies work. Genma,” he turned to the courier with a smile, “do you think you could persuade Jiraiya to come here and meet with me?”

“I can certainly try sir.” the courier answered, turning and heading out to locate the man in question.

“Okay . . . until he gets back you rest.” Iruka demanded as he pushed the shaky figure towards the bed.

“But ‘ruka . . .” the warlord protested, “I can’t sleep in Raidou’s bed it’s . . . . just ewwww.”

The scribe smiled at the childlike response. “I’m sorry ‘kashi, I know it’s not the best . . . but it’s better than the hard ground. If it makes you feel better I’m sure he wouldn’t like it either.”

“Yes he would.” Kakashi muttered, “That’s the whole problem . . . he can’t seem to let go of his feelings for me. I should never have let what he did slide, I just didn’t know how to handle it.”

“If it helps, I think you did the right thing.” Iruka said encouragingly, “After all, he did what he did because he cares about you . . . he just snapped when he caught us together. He might have wanted to hurt me, but I guarantee he’d never willingly hurt you. He’s crazy about you.” he ended sulkily.

“I just thought I’d get more comfortable around him.” the warlord said mournfully, “Instead I find myself avoiding him more and more. I’m afraid I just can’t work with him anymore, one of us is going to have to go . . . and it’s not going to be me.” he finished firmly.

“We should talk about that.” Iruka said thoughtfully, “I have some ideas that might work for both of you. Right now it’s bedtime for you.” he finished, settling Kakashi in the general’s bed before perching on the edge, gently carding his fingers through tousled silver strands. “Sleep, I’ll wake you when Genma gets back.”

The warlord reluctantly closed his eyes with a sigh, instantly falling into a deep sleep as the scribe kept an uneasy watch while he tried to figure out which of his tentative ideas might eventually allow things to go back to the way they were. Eventually he, too, drifted off to sleep, his head dropping onto Kakashi’s chest as his breathing slowed and he entered the realm of dreams.