Into the Fire

Chapter Sixty-Five

The rehearsal went smoothly and the copy-nin relaxed after both Gaara and Raidou insisted they weren’t upset by his suggestion that Raidou return to Konoha. “I hope we can still be friends Kakashi.” Gaara intoned solemnly, “But I’m comfortable with Raidou, I wouldn’t want to give him up.”

“Of course we’re still friends.” the jounin declared passionately, “I’m happy for you both.”

“What’s that all about Rai?” Genma asked, indicating the conversation going on between the copy-nin and the Kazekage.

“Hatake-san suggested I move back to Konoha and hook up with Ibiki.” Raidou confided quietly, “He said he had someone younger in mind for Gaara.”

“He said what?” the senbon sucker bellowed, hearing an implied slur against his best friend, even though no such thing was intended.

“Speaking of hook-ups.” the scarred jounin diverted his friend, “You’ve been holding out on me . . . I hear you and Iruka can give me first hand assurances of Ibiki’s prowess in the bedroom.” he concluded with a smirk.

“Oh yeah . . . I guess I never told you about that.” Genma admitted reluctantly, “It was right after I got back from Sound.”

“And you got Iruka to agree to it?” came Raidou’s disbelieving response.

“Ru slept with Ibiki first . . . before I got back. Then we had the threesome.” the honey-haired man divulged.

“Iruka slept with Ibiki without your explicit permission? And you didn’t go ballistic? . . . So, I assume what Kakashi told me was true. Is he amazing in bed?” Raidou leered.

“I’d certainly agree with that.” the honey-haired man affirmed, “Ibiki promised me a foursome . . . but I don’t think I’ll ever get it now.” he decided sadly.

“That’s what Kakashi was talking about.” Raidou realized suddenly, “He suggested that you, Iruka, Ibiki and I could have foursomes together.”

“Speaking of holding out.” the senbon sucker continued cheerily, “You still haven’t given me the details on how you and Gaara got together. Spill already . . . it’s not fair if you know all my sex secrets and I don’t know any of yours.” he proclaimed, clapping a hand on his friend’s shoulder and pinning him in place while he waited for an answer.

“Sex secrets my ass.” his friend scoffed, “Other than Iruka that’s the first sex story you’ve ever told me . . . and I had to pry that out of you. I don’t know why you think I should tell you anything.” He crossed his arms and observed the senbon-sucker carefully, finally resigning himself at the look of eager anticipation on Genma’s face. “Fine, you want to know so badly . . .Hatake-san seduced us both . . . but when we woke up, he was gone. Next thing I knew Kankuro showed up and was threatening Gaara, so I proposed . . . apparently that’s what sent him off the deep end. He grabbed Kakashi and . . . the next time I saw him was in the hospital. I don’t know how I can ever thank him for everything he’s done for me.” Raidou continued sincerely, “It breaks my heart to think that all his troubles now are because he wanted to help me.”

“He seduced you?” the senbon-sucker gasped, not really listening to the rest of his friend’s explanation, “You mean you’ve seen his face?”

“Of course I’ve seen it . . . haven’t you?” Raidou teased, happy to have one up on his gossip-loving friend for a change.

“No.” Genma grumbled, “Ru has though . . . and so have you. Why do I get left out of everything.”

“Didn’t you see it when you were in Sound . . . I had the impression from Uchiha-san that he didn’t wear his mask there.” Raidou asked curiously.

“They had me drugged . . . I seriously doubt he has three noses, so I’m disinclined to trust my memories on the matter.” the honey-haired man admitted wryly, “I hoped to find out for myself . . . but that’s not likely now, is it?”

“Kakashi’s planning on going back to Konoha. Ibiki won’t be willing to let him leave once he has him there so you’ll have plenty of opportunity.” Raidou theorized, “You may still get your chance.”

“Can I ask you a question Rai?” Genma ventured tentatively, “Why did you turn down Hatake’s suggestion that you return to Konoha? Don’t you want to come home? I know I miss you like crazy.”

“I miss you too, Gen-chan.” his friend teased, “But there are tons of reasons why it was a bad idea . . . beginning with the fact that Ibiki isn’t interested in replacing Kakashi . . . and I really don’t want just a fuck-buddy. Besides,” he continued dreamily, “I have everything I ever wanted. It’s nice to have someone who doesn’t even notice my scars. It’s funny . . . Gaara’s the first person I’ve ever been involved with who looks up to me. I had gotten so used to being ‘good old Raidou’ I kind of forgot there was more to me than that.” he concluded with a shrug. “In any event, I feel like I’m where I belong. If Hatake-san is ever looking for a new career he’d be a killer matchmaker.”

Genma covered his mouth with his hand in a futile attempt to stifle the giggles his friend’s suggestion produced. “Can you just picture it.” he chortled, “Come to me for relationship advice . . . from a man who wears a mask.”

“He found the perfect person for me.” Raidou insisted seriously, “No one else ever did.”

“But it’s no better than an arranged marriage . . . it’s the luck of the draw if you get along or not.” the senbon-sucker argued.

“Any time you get involved with someone there’s a lot of luck involved. What if I had met Iruka before you did . . . you met the love of your life while you were still a teenager. Most of us just don’t have that kind of luck. In fact, most of us are lucky not to spend the majority of our lives alone.” Raidou continued seriously, “I never realized just how lonely I was until I had someone. That’s why it breaks my heart to think of Hatake-san being alone for the rest of his life.”

“He’s not alone.” the honey-haired man argued, “He has Ibiki.”

“For now.” Raidou admitted, “But he’s going to try and bolt as soon as he gets the opportunity. Ibiki will be lucky if they make it back to Konoha at all.”

“I don’t get it.” Genma declared, “Why would Kakashi want to leave?”

“Because I don’t want to be an obligation.” the copy-nin hissed in his ear, causing the senbon-sucker to blush brightly with embarrassment.

“Hatake-san.” the honey-haired man murmured, “I didn’t realize you were there.”

“Obviously.” Kakashi retorted coldly. “I’d appreciate it if you refrained from speculating on my life Shiranui-san. Now, if you’re done gossiping, they’re waiting for us . . . if we could get on with this?”

“My apologies Hatake-san.” Genma replied sincerely, “I didn’t mean to offend you. Sometimes I’m too curious for my own good. I assure you I meant no harm.”

The rehearsal went smoothly and soon everyone was gathered in the palace dining room. Once everyone was seated they began digging into the elaborate feast laid out on the table. Kakashi slowly placed a few things on his plate, looking around to see who was watching him before quickly pulling down his mask and stuffing some food in his mouth, yanking it back into place while he slowly chewed and swallowed.

“Would you rather wait and eat in the room?” Ibiki asked softly.

“No.” the copy-nin mumbled nearly inaudibly, “Maybe it’s time for me to give this up . . . after all I’m not a ninja anymore . . . what reason is there to conceal my face?”

“I always assumed you had personal reasons for wearing the mask.” the interrogator said in surprise, “Some deep inner meaning, I don’t know . . . you’ve always been so careful about it.”

“I was afraid someone would recognize me . . . you know, from one of my assignations. I didn’t think I’d be able to stand that . . . especially if it was someone I saw all the time. Or during a fight, that could be a disaster. But now . . .” Kakashi swallowed hard before continuing in a tight voice. “None of that matters anymore . . . because I’m just a civilian now. There’s no point in being embarrassed, I’m sure everyone’s heard about me by now.”

“Heard about you how, sweetheart?” the scarred man asked in concern.

“About what I’ve been doing all these years. About the fact that the oh so high and mighty sharingan Kakashi is nothing but a common whore.” the copy-nin spat bitterly.

“Stop it.” Ibiki growled, “I told you before not to worry yourself about such things. Iruka has gone to a lot of trouble to keep all of this under wraps. If someone leaks it . . . well, let’s just say I’ll be sure to have a talk with them about it.”

“No.” Kakashi insisted stubbornly, “You can’t threaten people for telling the truth.”

“The truth is that you did as your Hokage ordered.” the interrogator rumbled, “You should be commended . . . not condemned.”

“In any event,” the copy-nin stated flatly, reaching up and pulling his mask down to pool around his throat, “it’s time to put this behind me.”

Mind made up, Kakashi returned to his dinner, lifting a fork full of food to his mouth . . . only to fling it across the table in shock when Gai noticed his exposed face. “My Eternal Rival,” the taijutsu master gushed, “It Is So Youthful And Brave Of You To Show Your Face. I Am Honored That I Am Considered Worthy Of This Trust. Hordes Of Wild Beasts Can Eat My Genitals Before I Will Reveal This Secret.”

“Oh my god.” Kakashi groaned, burying his face in his hands as Gai leapt up, racing around the table to pull the silver-haired jounin into a crushing hug. “Let go.” he managed to whisper as the air rushed from his lungs.

“Stop it Gai.” Ibiki ordered sternly, prying the weeping jounin off the copy-nin, “Stop making such a fuss and let ‘kashi eat.”

“Oh my god.” Kurenai exclaimed when she looked over to see what all the commotion was about and noticed Kakashi’s uncovered face, “You’re beautiful Hatake-san . . . why on earth have you been hiding that face all of these years?”

“Maybe this is a mistake.” the copy-nin murmured as he tried to become as inconspicuous as possible, uncomfortable with the scrutiny he was now under, “Gaara, Raidou, I’ll see you both tomorrow . . . I’m feeling tired, I think I’m just going to go and lay down . . . if that’s alright with you, of course.”

“I’ll go with you sweetheart.” the interrogator declared, excusing himself and following the copy-nin back to their rooms, both men ignoring the excited babble that arose in their wake.