Trapped Dolphin

All disclaimers, warnings, and other miscellaneous information from previous chapters still apply.

Chapter 8: Adrenaline

“Can I really do it?”

Iruka combed his hand through wet hair and stared at his reflection on the water. It was a familiar scenario. Whenever his demons were all riled up and devouring what was left of his self-respect, he would find himself in the small bathroom of his apartment, staring at the same reflection… only this time, it wasn’t on blood-tainted water.

He absentmindedly caressed the scarred skin of his arm as he thought over and over again just what was stopping him from cutting himself that night. “How long has it been since my last mission? Five months… maybe six…” he said thoughtfully.

His hand moved towards his abdomen, where the wound Kakashi had so expertly inflicted on him was slowly healing. “I may not be so lucky the next time.”

He felt an increasing need to feel the cold sting of steel on his skin, and see blood flowing down his arm. But somehow, instead of reaching for a kunai, he found himself chuckling. “Heh, if Kakashi-sensei were here, I’m sure he’d just laugh and say ‘don’t worry about i--” Iruka stopped mid-sentence, surprise clearly marking his face when he realized what he had just said, or who he had just been thinking about.

He pulled the plug on the drain and got out of the tub. “Thinking of Kakashi-sensei… that’s not a good sign,” he said, shaking his head. “I must really be tired.”

o.o.o.o.o

“Did you sleep well last night, Iruka-sensei?” Genma asked the next day as they trudged on a dirt road towards Camarón.

“Well enough, thank you Genma-san,” Iruka said.

“Of course! He was with me last night after all,” Kakashi interjected with a sly glint in his eye, loving the way Genma’s face contorted in a show of surprise.

“You two…!” Genma gasped, pointing an accusing finger at Kakashi.

“…just ate dinner and went our separate ways,” Iruka answered before Kakashi could say anything.

“Aww… I would’ve loved to eat with Kakashi-sensei too!” Yuiko squealed, pouting in disappointment like a five year old afterwards.

“Don’t worry, once we get to Camarón, we can all eat together. And maybe get some sweets afterwards. How does that sound?” Iruka said with a warm smile, and patting Yuiko’s head at the same time, lifting the girl’s spirits immediately.

“Okay!” she said, the bounce on her steps becoming more prominent.

Genma and Kakashi just stared at the two. “Iruka-sensei really has a way with children, doesn’t he?” Genma whispered.

“Oh yeah. Except this one’s not exactly a kid anymore,” Kakashi said.

o.o.o.o.o

“Whoo!” Genma exhaled loudly. “We’re finally here!” he said as they reached a small, and really pathetic wooden sign that read, “Welcome to Camarón.”

The party stood at a dirt road on the mountainside overlooking the small town. The port town was located at a mountainside and beside a large river where several boats were stationed.

“Hmm… we’re a bit early. But, ah, what the heck? Let’s go strait to the Oros. Hehe, if we’re lucky, the client will probably treat us to a nice lunch,” Kakashi said with a hint of excitement, which immediately vanished at the words of a certain pink-haired chuunin.

“Ohh! Yuiko can get to feed Kakashi-sensei and serve him his drinks!” Yuiko squealed in delight, instantly attaching herself to Kakashi’s arm.

“Ugh… I think I just lost my appetite,” Kakashi grumbled.

The ninjas went around the town asking for directions towards the Oro clan house, and they were eventually led to the boundary of the town where a tall, brick wall sectioned off the Oro property.

“This looks more like a fortress than a house to me,” Genma said in awe.

“No wonder the hokage gave in to their request for ‘as many ninjas as we can spare.’ They’ve got cash,” Kakashi said as they walked towards the massive gates to the house where two guards were stationed.

The party was later escorted into the massive compound and to a room where the clan leader awaited their arrival. He was a middle-aged man, with a potbelly, a head full of white hair, and a jovial air.

“Welcome, I am glad that you have arrived. You must be tired from the travel. Please, take a seat,” he said in a very pleasant tone.

“Not so much, but thank you,” Iruka replied.

“Let’s just get straight to the point. It is better if we get this treasure back as quickly as possible, don’t you think?” Kakashi said in a no-nonsense tone.

Iruka glanced at Kakashi. He didn’t have to be so serious especially when the clan leader was being so kind! Was he like that in every mission?

“Right, right, of course. Well, I suppose you’d like to know more about the treasure, yes?” he asked. The four ninjas nodded in response. “The Oro treasure is a very powerful weapon developed by our ancestors. So powerful that they eventually prohibited its use. We have kept it in close guard for more than 500 years.

“However, our rival clan, the Platinos managed to break into our property and steal the treasure a couple of days ago. Of course, we acted as soon as we can and hired you. And, needless to say, we need you to retrieve our treasure.”

“What exactly is this treasure?” Kakashi asked.

“It’s a silver-colored scroll. It holds the secret to a very old technique,” the clan leader paused, and took a deep breath. It was then that the gravity of the situation was reflected on his face. “An inescapable Genjutsu,” he said.

The room was momentarily overtaken by a surprised silence.

“It’s not possible! A Genjutsu that can never be broken?” Yuiko asked.

“It is very much possible, believe me. It is a technique that makes a person’s worst fears come to life before their very eyes and locks that person in the illusion that will last until the person dies. In most cases, the severity of the illusion itself causes the person to die. It is a very powerful technique,” the clan leader explained.

Kakashi’s visible eye narrowed as he considered what the man said. No matter which way he looked at it, this technique was strangely familiar… and totally impossible to be possessed by an unknown clan such as this.

“The potency of this technique also lies in the fact that any ninja with a high enough skill level can accomplish it. It DOES take a great chunk of a person’s chakra, but it’s no bloodline limit, I assure you. No special characteristics are required,” he added.

Kakashi’s suspicions had been confirmed. No bloodline limit. No special characteristics needed. If this Genjutsu were as powerful as this man says, then it would be really disastrous if it got into the wrong hands.

“Don’t you think it’s too late then?” Genma spoke up, rousing Kakashi from his thoughts. “For us to retrieve it. Your rival clan probably copied the contents of the scroll already.”

“It’s not too late yet, I’m sure of it. The scroll is heavily encrypted. Our ancestors made sure to seal it well. It would take at least a week, maybe two, before they could decode it and remove all the seals. But, even so, we must retrieve it as soon as possible.”

“Yes, of course, we understand completely. Please put your faith in us,” Iruka said.

~.~.~.~.~.~

“Stingy old man. Didn’t even give us some tea,” Kakashi grumbled before biting a huge chunk off his roast chicken leg as the party sat in a small restaurant in Gorrión. They took an hour trek up a mountain path after their audience with the Oro clan leader. And, after a quick look around the town, grabbed a bite to eat.

“You can’t always expect to leech off of your clients, Kakashi-sensei,” Iruka said.

“Yeah, I know…” Kakashi said, looking out the window in an attempt to ignore the clingy, young woman beside him that was force-feeding him a whole bowl of vegetables.

They chose this particular restaurant because, from where they sat, the gates to the Platino clan compound can be clearly seen. It was a well-guarded place, much like the Oro clan’s own property, and getting inside inconspicuously would be near impossible- especially if they did not know exactly what lay beyond the walls.

“Anything suspicious?” Genma asked.

“Nothin’,” Kakashi said.

“What do you think we should do?” Iruka asked.

“Hmm… I say we wait ‘till nightfall, infiltrate the place, look for that scroll, and kill everyone who comes in our way,” Kakashi stated calmly.

“And from the looks of it, that’d be quite a number of guards and lackeys too, but hey, why not? Killing all of them would be a breeze,” Genma said with a consensual nod.

Both Iruka and Yuiko’s eyes grew wide, Iruka nearly spraying the food in his mouth, and Yuiko dropping a heaping spoonful of vegetables on Kakashi’s lap.

“Wait a sec!” Iruka blurted out after swallowing his food. “You can’t just go in there and kill everyone in sight!”

“Yeah, yeah!” Yuiko protested.

“Why not? It’s pretty easy with all four of us taking them on,” Kakashi said, surprised at the sudden objection of the two.

“Jounins really are insane,” Iruka said to Yuiko.

“Yes they are,” Yuiko agreed.

“Well… what do you suggest we do then?” Genma asked.

“Can we not kill anyone if it’s possible?” Iruka asked. “There’s gotta be a way to get in there without attracting any attention. I say we try finding the location of the scroll first, and then retrieve it… inconspicuously.”

“Hmm… then I guess we’ll have to gather information first. We should all separate so we could cover more ground,” Kakashi said.

~.~.~.~.~

Only a couple of minutes after the four split up to look for information, Iruka sensed that he was being followed, and very skillfully at that.

‘Have we been found out?” he thought as his heart began to race. He decided his only option now was to try and lose his pursuer.

He walked for a few more paces to get a good sense of where his follower was, and more importantly, how dangerous he could be. He turned a corner into an alley and dashed towards a sizable pile of crates at the far end, hiding himself behind one of them. His eyes were wide and alert, and his heartbeat raced much like the time when he was fighting with Kakashi. In fact, this feeling was too familiar.

His pursuer emerged from the street, looking for him, and in that instant, Iruka decided to pop out in front of him.

“Kakashi-sensei, why were you following me?” he asked, in a tone he usually reserved for scolding his most mischievous students.

Kakashi’s hand rubbed the back of his neck as he chuckled sheepishly. “You’re good, Iruka. You found me out pretty quickly,” he said.

“I thought we were supposed to go separate directions. You said it yourself! So why the heck were you following me?” Iruka asked.

“Would you believe me if I told you I just wanted to spend some time alone with you?” Kakashi said, titling his head to the side, reminding Iruka of a puppy waiting for his master’s approval.

“Pfft. Don’t make me laugh, Kakashi-sensei. You’re probably just slacking off again,” Iruka dismissed. He walked past Kakashi and out of the alley. Kakashi immediately followed and walked beside him.

“Hey, I’m serious, you know? And I’m not slacking off this time. Genma-san is getting on my nerves, and too much of Yuiko-san is giving me a headache,” he explained. “Besides, I was ecstatic to finally go on a mission with you, but with them around, I can’t even talk to you without one or both of them interrupting, and its getting frustrating. I wanna be with Iruka!” he complained like a little kid.

“Don’t joke about embarrassing stuff!” Iruka told him off while trying desperately not to blush. How could Kakashi say something like that so easily?

“Why not? It’s not a joke. It’s the truth,” Kakashi answered, his heart doing happy dances at the sight of Iruka blushing.

“You sound just like a kid,” Iruka said, and he didn’t mean it in a nice way.

“Ah then that’s a good thing, right? Because you like kids a lot. That must mean… you’re starting to like me too!” Kakashi happily remarked.

Iruka couldn’t believe what he had just heard, if the outraged look on his face was any indication. “What kind of insane logic is that?! You’re just so full of yourself, aren’t you?”

“Yes I am,” Kakashi agreed happily. “But I’m still right,” he added, relishing the slightly annoyed look on Iruka’s face, who was by that time trying to ignore him completely. ‘It looks like the mission’s starting to get really interesting.’

~.~.~.~.~.~

Iruka asked around town about the Platino clan in the pretense of looking for a job there. And Kakashi, well, he just tagged along.

“Ya want a job sonny? I could really use someone to scrub the muck off my pigpen right now,” an old man proposed.

“Er, no thank you,” Iruka declined. He walked away with a snickering Kakashi behind him. “And what’s so funny?”

“Oh nothing. Just that people have been offering you these really odd jobs. Garbage boy, fish gutter, and oh yeah, fiancé to an old maid… twice!” Kakashi enumerated.

“Well, you COULD help instead of laughing all the time,” Iruka grumbled.

“Fine, you want me to help? Let me do all the talking next time, okay?” Kakashi said.

“Sure. Be my guest,” Iruka agreed.

“Aha, there!” Kakashi said, turning to walk to a young lady. “Stay there while I talk to her,” he said.

“Well, this’ll be good,” Iruka said as he watched Kakashi approach the woman. They talked for a few minutes, and it looked like Kakashi wasn’t making any progress. Then Kakashi leaned closer to her and whispered something in her ear. Iruka was suddenly feeling indignant. ‘He’s flirting to get information? I should have known,’ Iruka thought. Then the woman glanced at Iruka and giggled, and they kept on talking, this time more animatedly. “Now what did he say to her?” Iruka wondered.

The woman went inside the house, and Kakashi turned around to glance at Iruka, and gave him a wave. A couple of minutes later, the woman came out and handed him a piece of paper. They exchange a few more words before Kakashi walked back to Iruka.

“So?” Iruka asked.

“Bingo,” Kakashi said, brandishing the paper in front of Iruka’s face.

“You just got lucky,” Iruka said.

“Ah, never underestimate the information-gathering prowess of a jounin,” Kakashi said smugly.

Iruka rolled his eyes. “Yeah, yeah. So what is it, oh mighty one?”

“So glad you finally accepted the facts,” Kakashi said with a chuckle. “I’ll tell you when we find the other two,” he said.

They passed by the woman, and she waved happily at them. “Good luck, you two! I’ll be rooting for you,” she said giddily.

Iruka was perplexed. “What exactly did you say to her?” Iruka asked.

“Hmm… oh nothing, just like what you were asking people all this time,” Kakashi said.

“Huh. I find that very hard to believe,” Iruka said.

“Why don’t you just trust me for once?” Kakashi said.

~.~.~.~.~

“Good afternoon, sir,” Iruka said cheerily.

The guard looked at the brunette and pink-haired woman dressed in matching blue jumpsuits and holding brooms and rakes. “You’re the new gardeners?” he asked.

“Yes we are!” Yuiko chirped.

“Where are your passes?” he asked.

“Right here,” Iruka said, handing him a couple pieces of paper that Kakashi so skillfully got only moments ago. Speaking of which, Iruka took a glance at the direction of where his other two companions are hiding as he and Yuiko were led inside.

~.~.~.~.~.~

Kakashi grumbled from his seat atop a tree branch across the road from the compound. “I don’t understand why I have to be with you instead of down there with Iruka,” he complained to Genma who was sitting on another branch.

“Hey, don’t blame your bad luck on me. We drew lots and got surveillance so we have to stay right here and let ‘em do the work for now,” Genma said. “Just think of it this way, at least your not stuck with her.”

“Heh, good point.”

~.~.~.~.~.~

“Wow, this place is Huuuge!” Yuiko said when the two of them were left to do their gardening duties. “Hey,” she whispered, “how are we going to find the scroll in this place? We can’t even get inside the house!”

“I have an idea,” he said. He glanced around and saw a guard doing his rounds. “Excuse me,” he said. “Could you tell me where the washroom is?” he asked politely.

“You can’t go in the house alone. I’ll lead you there,” he said.

“Right. Thank you,” Iruka said, glancing back and smiling at Yuiko, who beamed in return.

He was lead into the massive mansion and he noticed every door was closed, and there were several guards walking down every hallway.

“Don’t take too long,” the guard said as he opened the door to the washroom.

“Yes, of course,” Iruka replied as he walked in and locked the door.

A few minutes later, Iruka came out of the room and closed the door behind him. “Thanks a lot. And I must say, I’ve never seen a bigger washroom in my entire life!” he said.

“Yeah, yeah. Come on now, outsiders shouldn’t be in the house,” the guard said.

“I understand. Lead the way,” Iruka said with a smile.

When both men were out of sight, the door opened and the same guard that accompanied Iruka went out of the washroom. Looking around to see if anyone was there, the perfect copy of the guard smiled and walked on.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

“The inside of the mansion is still full of guards. But there shouldn’t be a problem to get around them. There are a couple of places where the scroll might be. If they’re working on deciphering it, then they should be in a secluded room with lots of space. There’s a room with double metal doors on the far end of the left wing. The other one is a basement, and from the looks of it, it doesn’t have any other entrance except a small staircase at the right wing. Both are pretty easy to spot, but both heavily guarded,” Iruka told his team members.

“Huh, okay then. Let’s split up. Genma-san will take the left wing, and I’ll take the basement. Yuiko-san’ll provide support for Genma-san if he needs it, and Iruka will do the same for me. How’s that sound?” Kakashi asked.

“Hmm… pretty easy, don’t you think? Couldn’t the Oros have gotten it back themselves?” Genma asked.

“We won’t know unless we get it first,” Kakashi said.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~

A guard walked down the dark hallway and noticed a small figure moving at the corner. He took a few cautious steps towards it and grimaced. “Yech. What a big rat!” he said. Then, to his surprise, the “rat” growled and leapt to his face, making him stumble to the floor. “Who’s the rat?!” it said baring its canines and making a mad dash between the guard’s legs. Only a quick girly yelp was heard before everything was once again deathly silent.

Kakashi whipped his head around when he heard the noise. Then from around the corner, Kakashi’s trusty pug came running down the hallway. “I told you to distract the guard, not make noise,” Kakashi said.

“Yeah, well he’s plenty distracted now,” Pakkun said.

Kakashi chuckled as he deftly destroyed the lock of the door with one flick of his wrist. He walked down the stairs, blending into the shadows expertly. The basement was dimly lit, and in the middle was a shrine-like area where four guards stood at attention on each corner. In the middle of the shrine was a jewel-encrusted box with its top open to reveal a simple yet old scroll. A 500-year-old silver scroll. ‘Jackpot,’ Kakashi thought. ‘Won’t Iruka be happy things turned out so well?’

The guards didn’t even see it coming. One guard fell unconscious on the floor, the others so perplexed by what just happened and even more so when a silver-haired ninja appeared out of nowhere in front of them. “If you don’t mind, I’m taking that scroll with me. I’ve got a brunette to impress,” and before they could even react, they fell to the floor one by one in a dreamless sleep.

~.~.~.~.~.~

Iruka waited behind the bushes outside the east wing for Kakashi to surface. Or for Yuiko and Genma to appear. Anyone. It had been half an hour and still no sign of any activity. Was everything going well? He was, honestly, uncomfortable with all this waiting.

Then an alarm sounded and light flooded the surroundings. There was frantic shouting and running. Iruka felt his adrenaline pumping and he grabbed a kunai and whipped around when he felt a presence behind him. He tucked the weapon back into his pack when he realized it was only Kakashi. “You got it?” Iruka asked in urgency.

“I *am* a genius, you know,” Kakashi said, patting his bag.

“Of course you are,” Iruka humored him. “Let’s go now before they find us,” Iruka said, jumping up to the nearby tree.

“ I didn’t trigger that alarm, in case you were wondering,” Kakashi said, following suit. “I would’ve preferred to just waltz out of here without them knowing. That way it’d be easier for all of us. It was probably the walking pin cushion that got careless and alerted everybody,” he reasoned out as they maneuvered their way through the branches.

“I don’t understand how you could be so calm about this. Actually starting a conversation like we’re at a park or something! We’re still in their territory, you know!” Iruka said. “We still have to deliver th-“ Iruka was saying when Kakashi suddenly yanked him closer, Iruka’s back flush against Kakashi’s chest. Kakashi had an arm around his waist and another hand over his mouth, and it took a moment for Iruka to realize that a bunch of guards were searching the ground below.

Iruka’s mentally told himself over and over again that it was just the adrenaline making his heart beat so much faster, and not the feeling of Kakashi’s warm hand on his face, or his strong arm around his waist, holding him as if he were more precious than any 500-year-old treasure.

When the guards were out of sight, Kakashi removed his hand on Iruka’s mouth. The chuunin breathed a sigh of relief, and then realized Kakashi’s arm was still around his waist. “Ahm, Kakashi-sensei…” he began.

“Yeah?” Kakashi said, totally oblivious.

“Let go.”

“Oh!” Kakashi said, releasing his hold on Iruka. “Heh. Got carried away,” Kakashi said apologetically. “Let’s just get outta here, I can’t wait to get this mission done,” Kakashi said, taking the lead and jumping to a tree outside the compound’s walls with Iruka close on his tail. They met up with the other two on the rooftop of the restaurant they ate in, and wasted no time by starting on their journey back to the Oro’s.

Iruka stared at Kakashi’s back as they dashed atop rooftops. “It’s just adrenaline, just adrenaline,” he whispered to himself as they made their escape from the village of Gorrión and into the pitch-black night.

Extra1: So, what DID Kakashi say to the lady in the street?

“Hello,” Kakashi greeted. “I’m in a bit of a pinch and I was wondering if you could help me,” he said.

“Oh, sure. What is it?”

“I was wondering if you knew how I could get into that place over there?” he said, pointing to the Platino compound.

“That? Sorry, but no one can get in their without their permission,” she said.

“There must be some way, I really need to get in.”

“I don’t see how. Today, I’m gonna do some gardening with my brother there, and even we need a pass,” she explained.

“Oh?” Kakashi’s face lit up, not that anybody could have seen. “Then you’re the only one who could help me. Please, I really need to get in there,” he begged. “See here,” Kakashi said then leaned closer to her and whispered something in her ear. “That guy over there, I like him a lot. I was planning to confess to him tonight, but a bird flew in and snatched the ring I was supposed to give him. I ran after the bird and I saw it place the ring in a nest inside that fortress,” he said, the lies flowing easily from his lips. “And now I can’t confess to him. I really need that ring back,” he said, trying to sound as desperate as possible.

“You like that guy there?” she asked, looking at Iruka’s direction.

“Yeah, I do,” Kakashi said, although this time he didn’t need to lie for it.

Then she giggled. “He IS kinda cute,” she said. “He reminds me of my math teacher.”

“He does give off that teacher vibe, doesn’t he? That’s one of the reasons why I’m attracted to him,” Kakashi said.

She giggled again. “All right then. I’d hate to see two lovers not being together because of me. I’ll get the passes and give it to you. I didn’t wanna work today anyway. Wait right here,” she said before going in the house. “Ohh, this is just like one of those mangas I was reading,” she said to herself. Needless to say, she was positively giddy.

Extra2: While Iruka and Kakashi were out looking for ways to get into the fortress, what were Genma and Yuiko doing?

Genma tailed the two ninjas from a safe distance, until he saw a flash of shocking pink hair. He approached Yuiko, who was hiding behind a stack of barrels. “What are you doing here?” he whispered to her.

Yuiko wasn’t surprised to hear Genma’s voice and continued to watch Kakashi and Iruka as they went from door to door. “I’m watching them,” Yuiko replied.

“You’re spying on them, aren’t you?” Genma asked.

“So are you,” she answered, then giggled when she saw Kakashi made Iruka blush again. “They’re so cute!” she said.

Genma was beyond perplexed. “I thought you liked Kakashi-sensei?”

Yuiko looked back at Genma with big, wide eyes. “I do,” she replied. “But I like Iruka-sensei too. He’s so nice!” she nearly squealed. “And what about you, I don’t see you clinging to Iruka-sensei now.”

Then, something clicked inside their heads and they gasped in realization.

“CLASS T MISSION, BRING KAKASHI-SENSEI AND IRUKA-SENSEI TOGETHER!!!” they blurted out in unison.

They remained frozen there, gaping at each other in disbelief as their targets walked farther away. It seemed they’ve found an ally in their special mission. There was just one question that remained: Will these two be successful?

TBC.

AN.
Still alive. But barely. I’m graduating in a few months and naturally, thesis and school work come first. Which is why this fic was temporarily put on hold. But like I said, still alive. I’m posting all the chapters that ff.net has that adultff.net doesn’t. and once equalized, I’m posting a new chapter soon. Stay tuned. Mwah!

SD