Trapped Dolphin

Hi. Just as promised, here’s the next installment.
Disclaimers from previous chapters still apply.

Chapter 9: Fear
~.~.~.~.~.~.~

Once the party reached the Oro clan fortress, the clan leader immediately took the treasure away as if it would burn to ashes in Kakashi’s hands, and disappeared into the inner recesses of the house.

But they were not neglected at the very least. Even at midnight, the household was bustling and preparing rooms for the ninjas to stay in for the night. Within minutes, the four ninjas were lead to separate rooms, and instantly, Yuiko’s squeals of excitement could be heard through the paper-thin walls of each room. Iruka looked around his room and wondered just what was so special about them. They were kind of big and cozy, with a small table on one side, a single bed that seemed comfortable enough, and… a balcony.

Iruka opened the sliding doors and walked out to the balcony that he discovered he shared with the other ninjas’ rooms.

“Hey, hey, Iruka-sensei, look!!!” Yuiko called out from the left. She was leaning on the railing so much Iruka thought it was a miracle she hasn’t tipped over yet. Genma was at the far left of the balcony looking around the scene.

Iruka leaned over to see what the fuss was about, and his eyes grew wide with amazement. The house stood at a sharp cliff, and under the balcony was a raging river at least 100 feet below. Even in the almost blackness of the surroundings, the white waters of the rapids could clearly be seen. “Wow,” Iruka whispered, gripping the railing tighter with his hands that felt cold and tingly all of a sudden.

“Yeah, wow,” Kakashi agreed as he emerged from the other room to his right.

They stood side by side admiring the view from above when Yuiko’s excited voice rang out again. “Oh my! This balcony is PERFECT for couples!” she squealed. “Sooo romantic, don’t you think so, Genma-san?” she asked with a wink.

“Oh, yeah, yeah. This place is almost like a love hotel with a scenic view and all…” Genma answered, his voice a little louder than usual.

Iruka looked at Kakashi and Kakashi stared right back at him. Iruka’s heart began to pound harder when he realized just how close Kakashi was. And from the way they stood, shoulder to shoulder, it almost looked like they WERE a couple, and it embarrassed Iruka to no end.

Kakashi, on the other hand, was mesmerized by Iruka’s face illuminated only by the dim light of the moon. Damn. Even the darkness couldn’t lessen his beauty, and with him blushing oh so innocently like that, well, it was near impossible not to fall more in love with him. The atmosphere really was something here, and when Kakashi realized he’d been staring far too long that it became awkward, he averted his gaze and cleared his throat.

Genma yawned exaggeratedly loud. “I guess I’m gonna turn in for the night,” he said as he made his retreat to his room.

Yuiko took a quick glance at the other two ninjas doing the staring contest and giggled. “I’m sleepy too. Good thing the bed looked so big and comfy!” she said before bounding into her own room.

Kakashi chuckled, and looked back down at the rapids below. “So this whole house is built on a cliff huh? Imagine, if you fall from here, no amount of chakra control will stop *that* from hurting. It’d feel like a thousand belly flops!” Kakashi said in an amused tone.

“Why do I get the feeling you’re the kind of person who’d jump here just to see what it’s like?” Iruka said.

“Nuh-uh, not me. Nothing’s gonna make me jump there. Do you know how long it takes for me to fix my hair? This right here,” he said pointing to the unruly upsweep of his silver hair, “is pure art.”

Iruka looked at him skeptically, “Oh really? I thought that’s just a severe case of bed head,” he said.

“Ohohoho, look who’s talking. What’s up with that suuuuper tight ponytail? It’s not a crime to have a stray strand of hair once in a while, you know. In fact,” he said, reaching a hand out and…

“…I’d say that you look ten times better this way,” Kakashi said.

Iruka’s eyes grew to epic proportions as he saw Kakashi’s hands flash behind his head and all of a sudden, his long brown hair fell and was quickly swept by the strong wind, instantly covering half of his face, his forehead protector rendered useless as it dropped around his neck. “Kakashi-sensei!!!” he told him off as his hands flew to prevent his hair from going to his face. “That wasn’t funny. Give it back,” he said.

“I wasn’t making fun of you,” Kakashi said. “But I AM tempted to keep this just so I can always see you with your hair down.”

“Haha, not gonna happen. Now please, Kakashi-sensei, give me back my hair tie,” Iruka said.

“Nope, I think I’ll just keep this,” Kakashi said, inserting the said hair tie inside his front vest pocket.

Iruka was about to protest when a servant girl went out to the balcony. “Excuse me,” she said, “the kitchen prepared a special meal for you if you wish to eat.”

“Oh, no thank you, it’s late and…” Iruka said.

“Sure, that’d be great!” Kakashi interjected. “In fact, I’d like to eat mine in his room if that’s okay,” Kakashi said.

“Kakashi-sensei what are you-“ Iruka was starting to say but was interrupted by the girl.

“So that would be two dinners?” she asked.

“Yes,” Kakashi affirmed, and the girl left without another word.

“What was that all about?” Iruka inquired in a slightly irritated voice.

“They prepared a meal,” Kakashi said as if that explained everything.

“But couldn’t you eat in your own room?” Iruka complained as he followed Kakashi who just casually waltzed inside the chuunin’s room.

The jounin inspected the room, turning an empty flower vase around as if it were the most interesting thing in the world. He pulled his mask down and blew the dust off of the vase and set it back down on the table. “Nice vase,” he said. “Hand painted too.”

“Kakashi-sensei! Can you please focus?” Iruka said.

“Mmm? Oh, right, well I just don’t feel like eating alone,” Kakashi said. A strong wind blew the door shut, and he turned back around to look at Iruka, expecting to see the chuunin’s face half-covered by his hair. But what he saw made his jaw immediately drop. “Ah! How did you?!” he said, pointing an accusing finger at Iruka, who had his hair back in that same, tight, ponytail he usually wore. He took a peek at his vest and found his pocket open and the hair tie missing then looked back at Iruka as if he was making sure it wasn’t an illusion.

“Heh, not bad… for a chuunin,” Kakashi said.

Usually, a remark like that would make the said chuunin fume, but not this time. Iruka wasn’t about to rise to the bait. “I’m surprised you didn’t notice sooner, Kakashi-sensei. And I thought *you* were supposed to be a genius,” he said with a triumphant smirk.

Kakashi laughed at Iruka’s surprising retort. “I knew there was a reason why I like you,” Kakashi said.

“You what?” Iruka asked, his expression a blend of sheer shock and bewilderment. Did he just hear that right?

Kakashi froze and in that instant, he remembered just why elders tell kids to think before they say anything.

‘Ho-oly crap!’ Kakashi’s mind screamed. He cleared his throat, thinking of a million and one ways to get out of this, preferably alive and in one piece. And for all his experience conjuring up fairytale stories and wild lies to tell his team of genins, this time he came up with a disappointing blank.

“Uhh… I like you?” he said, and he immediately cursed himself to the high heavens when his voice came out like a squeak. ‘Oh way to go, that was soooo uncool,’ Kakashi’s mind berated himself.

Then, he could seriously hear the pounding of his heartbeat in his ears waiting for what Iruka would say next. Kakashi could have sworn the silence stretched a full, agonizing minute before Iruka finally reacted.

“Pfft. Oh come on, like I’d believe that silly joke,” Iruka said with a chuckle.

The jounin’s jaw literally dropped as he suddenly felt indignant at being disregarded just like that. Why, he was actually nervous that time, and Iruka just laughed at him? “But it’s no joke!” Kakashi said, “It’s the truth,” Kakashi tried to explain.

However, Iruka was still chuckling, and it was evident he wasn’t getting through at all. “You really had me going there for a second. Come on, you can stop with the joke, I get it already,” Iruka said.

“You don’t understand,” Kakashi insisted. “I LIKE YOU,” he said again, and with much more conviction this time.

The smile faded from Iruka’s face as the reality of the situation started to kick in. It was probably another minute before he was able to produce a sound.

“So,” Iruka began slowly, “you mean to say,” he paused again, cleared his throat, and continued, “that you… like… me…?”

“Well, yeah. That’s what I’ve been saying. How many times do you want me to say it? I like you, Iruka. I really, really do,” Kakashi confessed. He never imagined he’d be revealing his affections towards the younger man this soon, but since he accidentally let it out, he might as well make it crystal clear.

Iruka still seemed a bit out of it. Like he’s still stuck in the denial stage. Unable to comprehend such an impossible situation, he’s stuck in limbo between ‘is this real’ and ‘have I gone mad?’

Kakashi could only brace himself for the outburst that would come next. What he got was something else entirely.

“Okay. You like me,” Iruka said with as much feeling as cardboard. “I’m gonna go jump off the balcony now,” he said, turning to walk back out to the ledge.

“Wait!” Kakashi grabbed him by the arm and pulled him closer.

If Iruka didn’t know how to react with the confession before, well, he was even more dumbfounded and utterly shocked with what happened next.

Kakashi leaned in and kissed him.

Kissed him.

Frustrated at being treated as a joke, Kakashi kissed Iruka, hoping that what he didn’t understand with his words, he would understand with his actions.

If their first kiss was soft and tender, this second one was nothing but. Kakashi was unyielding, his tongue, his mouth, his lips claiming Iruka’s own as if the world would crumble if he stopped. It was pure passion, the kind that made Iruka melt into Kakashi’s arms, the kind that made his heart race and left his mind blank and his senses tuned in to that overwhelming feeling alone. It was the kind of kiss that made him realize that Kakashi’s “like” meant more than just a simple “like.” It was definitely more than just “like.” It was…

They broke the kiss a few moments later out of sheer need to breathe. By this time, Kakashi had his arms around Iruka’s waist and the chuunin was far from noticing it. Kakashi licked his bottom lip as he very contently and smugly gazed at Iruka’s flushed face, dazed eyes and parted and slightly swollen lips. Damn, was Iruka sexy.

“So,” he began, enjoying the fact that Iruka seemed to be breathing heavily, and it didn’t look like it was from air deprivation at all, “you still don’t believe me?”

“You kiss good,” Iruka said in a soft, dazed voice.

Kakashi chuckled. “Yeah I do, don’t I?”

Iruka frowned and pushed Kakashi away. “You’re just so full of yourself.”

Kakashi was not one to let a good opportunity pass, and so he held Iruka closer despite his efforts to push him away. “Come on,” he smirked and leaned in closer again until they were nose to nose, “aren’t you even curious about what else I can do really good?” he whispered.

With Kakashi’s face so close to his, Iruka couldn’t help but notice just how stunningly handsome Kakashi was. Why he would hide such a gorgeous face behind a mask was beyond him. But more than that, the chuunin was taken aback by the look in Kakashi’s mesmerizing eyes. His pupils were dilated, and both blue and red orbs were burning with intense passion, the kind that made Iruka feel like Kakashi could eat him up alive right then and there. Iruka desperately tried to resist, but when Kakashi’s lips claimed his again, he found there was no merit in resisting at all.

Kakashi pressed his body closer to Iruka’s, especially when he felt the other man melt into his arms. His lust surged and the desire to feel every inch of Iruka’s skin on his fingertips threatened to overwhelm him. He kissed him deeper as one of his hands moved to remove Iruka’s vest.

Iruka gasped and broke the kiss when he realized that Kakashi had opened his vest and his hand was snaking its way under his shirt. “Kakashi-sen…ahh!” he gasped again when Kakashi’s hand found a nipple.

“Ah…st-stop…please…” Iruka was barely coherent as Kakashi teased his flesh with his fingers, and started licking his ear and moving his way down to his neck.

“Don’t tell me to stop now, Iruka, coz nothing’s gonna make me stop…” he said as he slipped the vest off Iruka’s shoulders and let it fall to the floor with a soft thud.

Iruka was about to attempt a protest, but he was intoxicated by the electric feeling of Kakashi’s lips and tongue on his neck that he couldn’t care less that Kakashi seemed intent on divesting him of all his clothing. He was halfway there, too, when Kakashi deftly slipped Iruka’s shirt off his arms and head.

Iruka was unable to stifle a gasp of surprise when Kakashi bent down and captured a nipple in his mouth even as his fingers teased the other. The chuunin’s hands instinctively flew to the back of Kakashi’s head, urging him for more. The jounin complied and bit the hardened nub lightly, earning another gasp of surprise from Iruka.

By this time, all rational thought had fled Iruka’s mind, and all he could think and feel was Kakashi. Kakashi moving to his other nipple, sucking and licking and, oh god, biting it just hard enough for it to sting and feel so good at the same time. His arms move to circle Kakashi’s back, and found the rough material of Kakashi’s vest to be very unappealing. He had not realized he was pulling at the garment as if to get rid of it until Kakashi moved away to remove his own vest, mask, bags and whatever else ninjas usually carry. Soon, Kakashi’s shirt was gone as well, and before Iruka had time to appreciate Kakashi’s bare torso, he felt the foot of the bed at the back of his knees and fell backwards with a little bounce. Somehow, Kakashi had managed to move the both of them a few steps towards the bed, the sly bastard. And now, Kakashi was on top of him, and back to kissing him like he was out to prove that ‘you kiss good’ was an understatement.

Lying like this, Iruka could feel every inch of Kakashi’s body on his own, from his broad shoulders, to his well-defined torso, those perfect abs, and even lower to that unmistakable hardness pressed against his thigh through their pants. It made Iruka’s body warm everywhere, made the passion he felt surge to new heights, knowing that he was the cause of the great Hatake Kakashi’s current state of arousal. Iruka didn’t realize how much Kakashi was affecting him as well, until of course the jounin decided to surprise him yet again by rubbing Iruka’s erection, making him arch of the bed and moan rather loudly.

Iruka didn’t mind the smirk playing on Kakashi’s face as the older man continued to rub his erection through the cloth of his pants. With his free hand, Kakashi moved to remove the tie that bound Iruka’s hair, because really, he had a thing for hair as gorgeous as Iruka’s.

“Ohh, if you could only see how sexy you look…” Kakashi said. Once unbound, Iruka’s hair splayed on the sheets like a pool of dark liquid, along with his flushed face, lust-glazed eyes and sensuous lips, Iruka painted an ethereal image no one, man or woman alike, could ever resist. ‘And he’s here, with me,’ a thought that elated Kakashi and made him feel like the luckiest guy on the face of the planet.

But, apparently, his luck started to run out the moment someone knocked on the door.

“Excuse me, I’m here to deliver your meals,” the girl waiting outside the door said.

Kakashi had no intention to stop, and to silence any protests from the gorgeous man lying beneath him, he kissed him again, and even going as bold as to slip his hand inside Iruka’s pants to feel his erection on his own skin.

Iruka moaned and broke the kiss once the knocking on the door resumed. “Ahh… th-the-ah…do-door…” Trying to string a sentence much less think while a devastatingly gorgeous man was stroking his erection seemed an impossible feat, but he tried nonetheless.

“Fuck!” Kakashi cursed. Turning his head to the direction of the door, he called out, “Uh, yeah, could you leave it by the door? We’re kinda busy.”

Iruka’s cheeks flamed even more and he managed an indignant, “Kakashi-sensei!!!”
“Yes, sir. I’ll leave the tray here,” the girl said.

As the girl spoke, Kakashi not once stopped stroking Iruka, and when his thumb teased the head of his cock, Iruka moaned loudly. Realizing his mistake, Iruka covered his mouth, embarrassed and slightly irked by Kakashi deviously grinning. “Not so loud,” Kakashi whispered in Iruka’s ear before he licked and bit on his earlobe.

The girl spoke through the door again. “Also, the clan leader wishes to speak with your team leader as possible,” she said.

“Yes, We’ll come, for sure,” he called out to the girl, the double meaning was not lost on Iruka, who was at the mercy of Kakashi’s skillful hands.

“Very well then, I shall inform him,” she said. Kakashi didn’t even bother to listen for her footsteps walking away before pulling Iruka’s pants down to his knees to expose his erection and continue stroking.

“Wait!” Iruka said, grabbing Kakashi’s hand to stop him. “We should stop.”

“I told you, nothing’s gonna make me stop,” Kakashi said, and even while his hand was captured by Iruka, his other one was caressing his thigh.

“What about the clan leader?” Iruka asked, almost breathlessly.

“Mmm, yes, we shouldn’t keep him waiting, huh?” Kakashi said. “So you should help me out a bit with this,” he said. He pulled his own pants down and guided Iruka’s hand towards his erection. “And we’ll leave the really good part for later,” he said with a chuckle.

Iruka looked down and blushed when he saw his hand wrapped around Kakashi’s massive length. No wonder Kakashi had that arrogance and self-confidence about him. He had the goods to back it up.

When Kakashi resumed his stroking, Iruka mimicked him and glided his hand up and down Kakashi’s erection. For the first time that night, he had the satisfaction of hearing Kakashi moan, and he found that the sound only spurred him on.

Together, they stroked each other’s lengths, as they shared kiss after scorching kiss. Before long, both men were on the brink of release. It was Iruka who teetered over the edge first, trying to hold back his moan and spilling his seed all over Kakashi’s hand and both their stomachs. His release triggered Kakashi’s, and soon the older man’s cock spurted streams of semen and mixed with Iruka’s own cum between their bodies.

They lay there for a few moments, Kakashi slowly crushing Iruka into the mattress but both unwilling to move. Kakashi was still taking it all in, how his earlier blunder of a confession got Iruka to finally allow him to touch him. Although they couldn’t go all the way, which was a damn misfortune, he was confident that time would not be far away.

When the haze of his orgasm was slowly fading away, Iruka’s mind began to catch up with him, and one thought dominated his thoughts, ‘Oh my god, what just happened?’ He was never in such an intimate situation with another person, but there he was, in the same bed as a man, Kakashi no less, and he just let him do those things to him… even *that*, and if it weren’t for the blessing of an interruption, *that* could have easily progressed to so much more. Iruka’s face reddened just thinking about it. Oh, he was in really deep shit now. He looked to his side, where Kakashi had rolled over, and he found the older man staring back at him with a smug look. “What’s with that smirk?” Iruka asked, a bit irked at the thought that Kakashi might have done this as a sort of joke.

“Oh? Was I smirking? I didn’t realize,” he said, feigning innocence. Then, just like that, he switched gears. “It must be because seeing you lying naked like that makes me want to do all sorts of nasty things to you,” he said, with a sly grin and again with that smoldering look in his eyes.

“You sound like a perverted old man!” Iruka said, blushing furiously, and trying his best to pull his pants up, which was proving to be quite a challenge, what with Kakashi still half on top of him and seemingly intent on staying that way.

“Do you want to see just how perverted I can be?” he asked with a husky voice, his hand sliding down to touch Iruka’s thigh oh so close to his groin. He couldn’t help but chuckle when Iruka blushed even more. He just enjoyed seeing Iruka red as a tomato.

Apparently Iruka didn’t enjoy it as much, because the next thing Kakashi knew, he was pushed off the bed and he landed on his bare butt on the floor with a loud thud. “Ouch, that hurt!” he said, rubbing his backside. “I was only joking. You are SO not romantic at all,” he complained like a little kid.

Iruka grabbed the sheet and wiped off all the sticky stuff on his abdomen and groin before yanking his boxers and pants up. He was doing it so hastily that it seemed he was so worried that any more time he spent naked, Kakashi would jump him again. “Were you just joking about liking me too, is that it?” Iruka asked, and he didn’t like how bitter he sounded, nor how his heart sunk at the very thought that Kakashi could be making fun of him again.

“Hey,” Kakashi said, gentler this time. He pulled himself up and sat on the bed beside Iruka. “Do you always doubt everyone that shows the least bit interested in you?” he asked in the same gentle tone.

Iruka didn’t answer and just looked at his hands on his lap, and the unmistakable scars on his arms. He didn’t have an answer.

Kakashi saw the confusion and doubt playing on Iruka’s face. He leaned towards Iruka and gave him a chaste kiss on the lips. “I know I can be unreliable sometimes, and I may not strike you as the most serious person in the world, but I wasn’t joking when I told you I wanted to help you,” he said, capturing one of Iruka’s hands in his own, “I like you. Please, you have to trust me on this. I’m not forcing you to like me back. And hey, if you don’t like me touching you anymore, I get that,” he said, moving his hand away from Iruka’s, in case he gets shoved off the bed again. “Although it would be difficult not to get aroused when I see you, I’m sure I can control myself…” he explained. “…or jerk-off somewhere,” he added as an afterthought.

“You really are obscene,” Iruka said with a soft chuckle.

“Oh you haven’t seen or heard the half of it,” Kakashi said, smiling back. He was glad to see his efforts were working. “Now, let’s eat first, then I’ll meet with Mr. clan leader, then we can set off in search of the bath afterwards, what do you say? Because believe me, even if you wipe it off, it’ll still feel sticky afterwards.”

Iruka smiled. “A bath sounds nice.”

“We can share a shower or a soak in a tub if you’re interested,” Kakashi propositioned.

“Don’t push your luck, Kakashi-sensei.”

~.~.~.~.~

In the other room, two ninjas had their ears pressed against the thin wall. When it seemed the occupants of the adjacent room were now busy eating, they moved away from the wall.

“I believe you owe me a hundred bucks,” Genma said triumphantly.

Yuiko grinned. “Not a chance. Yuiko was right. The bet was if they’d go all the way tonight. They didn’t. So pay up,” she said.

“Damn Kakashi. I thought he said nothing was gonna make him stop. Che, you were just lucky that servant came when she did,” Genma said as he pulled out his wallet and grudgingly took a hundred bucks out of it.

“It wasn’t luck. Even if she didn’t come, they wouldn’t have gone all the way.”

“Oh? Please, explain to me,” Genma said.

“Well, it’s their first time together, naturally Kakashi-sensei would want to take things slower because he knows what a gentle-soul Iruka-sensei is. He’d want to show Iruka-sensei just how much he cares for him with every touch, every caress, every kiss. And that takes time, so a quickie just wouldn’t do. It wouldn’t be romantic enough. For love to flourish between them, everything has to be right!” she explained slowly.

Genma was suddenly horrified. “You’re freaking me out.”

“Genma-san? Didn’t you know? Yuiko is a fan girl at heart,” she said with another wide grin.

Still, that horrified look on Genma’s face persisted. “Fan girls are so scary…”

~.~.~.~.~


“The food’s not bad. Looks like they’re not so stingy after all,” Iruka commented as they began to eat together. They used the small side table to place their trays on and sat on the bed next to each other, Iruka thankful for the little blessing of Kakashi agreeing to wear his pants again.

“Naturally, they got what they wanted,” Kakashi said.

“Think of it this way, at least we get to rest a little before we return to Konoha,” Iruka said.

“It’s not like the mission was all that taxing. A team of genins could’ve done the job,” Kakashi said.

“Let’s just be thankful that we did not face any real danger, and we can all go safely home without a scratch on our bodies,” Iruka said.

“I’m just saying, it was soOo anti-climactic,” Kakashi said.

“Better than a mission helping in a farm,” Iruka said with a chuckle.

“Oh, the noisy brat told you about that?” Kakashi asked.

“Yes, *Naruto* told me about it, and how they failed miserably to see what’s under your mask. You should have heard all their expectations, it was so hilarious,” Iruka said with that same sparkle in his eyes every time it was about the blonde-haired boy.

‘Again,’ Kakashi thought with a tinge of jealously. ‘When it’s all about Naruto, he gets so… so… happy,’ he thought. Then, the cogs inside his head started turning and he leaned closer to Iruka. “And… what about you?” Kakashi said. “You’ve seen what’s under my mask. Was I up to your expectations?” he said, taking a slow sip from his cup.

Iruka dared not to turn his head to look at Kakashi. He knew just how close Kakashi was leaning towards him. If he turned his head, his face would be a few inches away from the jounin’s. Even after what they just did, he found the close proximity of the other man to be unnerving. “No,” he replied with conviction.

“Wh-?!” Kakashi was caught off guard and nearly choked on his drink. Oh, now Iruka’s just being cute. “Your so mean,” Kakashi said.

“And you!” Iruka blurted out, as if realization just struck him at that very moment. “Where’d you hide my hair tie again?” Iruka said, brushing off strands of hair that fell to his face.

“I’m not saying a word. I like your hair that way, makes you look more seductive,” Kakashi said.

“Oh no, don’t tell me you have a hair fetish?” Iruka’s face threatened to lose all color.

“What if I do, huh?” Kakashi teased, reaching out to twirl a lock of Iruka’s hair.

Iruka blushed and stood up immediately. “I’m looking for that hair tie right now,” Iruka said.

Kakashi had to laugh at how comical Iruka looked blushing and embarrassed as he sifting through the almost endless pockets in Kakashi’s vest on the floor. He finished his meal and stood up to get dressed. “You finished with that?” he asked Iruka who was still busy looking through the vest.

“Nope, you keep two… oh wait, three volumes of Icha-Icha in your vest?” Iruka asked.

“Hey, those are survival supplies! Now, can I have it back? It’s not there, you know,” Kakashi said.

“Fine, there,” Iruka said, handing the vest to Kakashi.

“Don’t worry, I won’t attack you anymore tonight. At least not until after I meet with the clan leader,” he said, flashing another devious smirk at Iruka before covering his face with his mask.

“Not gonna happen so just go ahead and meet with him. You’re making the client wait!” Iruka said, literally pushing Kakashi out of the door, and shutting it in his face. He turned around to look for his own clothes scattered on the floor, and noticed that Kakashi had left his hip pouch on the floor. Iruka trudged to the said pouch and picked it up. He failed to realize it was open so when he picked it up, the contents came spilling out. There were very few standard issue items, such as a couple of bottles of antidotes, a healing balm, and a roll of bandage. Other than that, the pouch was mostly filled with useless stuff… an alarming number of official Icha-icha merchandise such as key chains, button pins, and several collectible cards of the book’s characters in rather obscene poses. There was also filthy paper shuriken, a wallet designed as a dog head with its tongue sticking out, a couple of suspicious-looking candies that might have been stored in the pouch for too long, a hair tie…

“Ah! Found it!” Iruka said in triumph as he picked the hair tie up. He immediately pulled his hair back and tied it. It was then that he noticed something glint from under all those stuff. He pushed the cards and key chains aside and just stared at the glinting metal. He felt like all the blood was draining from his face, and he couldn’t move.

It was a kunai. And not just any kunai… HIS kunai.

He felt the chunks rise up his throat as he picked it up. It looked like any ordinary kunai, but there was no mistaking it. It was his kunai, the very same one he used to slash himself over and over again, and the same kunai he used to defend himself during the test. He didn’t know what to think, what to do, how to react. “What is Kakashi-sensei doing with this?” he thought aloud. “He knew, he knew it was what I used, and I dropped it fighting him… why did he pick it up, why did he keep it? Is this another joke?” he asked himself.

Then, thoughts of what Kakashi said came back to him…

“…I wasn’t joking when I told you I wanted to help you. I like you. Please, you have to trust me on this.”

“Trust… I have to trust him…” he whispered. He decided to place everything back into the pouch. One by one, he returned every item inside the pouch. When everything else was inside, he looked at the kunai in his hand, and hesitated to put it back. The familiar feel of the handle in his hand, the coldness of the metal, it brought back memories… and it made his wounds itch. The urge to see his blood trickling down his arms returned, and Iruka shut his eyes, forcing himself to stop thinking about the sting of a blade cutting across his skin. “I have to trust him,” he repeated, placing the kunai back into the pouch hastily. “But why is it so hard to do that?” he asked himself, clutching the pouch in his hands.

All this time, Iruka saw Kakashi’s sincerity in his actions, his clingy attitude, his teases, even his touches, his kisses. All of them felt so real to him. It was the first time in a long, long while since he felt that someone actually cared for him, since he felt needed, even loved. Suddenly, it was as if Kakashi had assumed a larger part in his life, and it hurt to even think it was all a lie.

He sat there on the floor, unsure of what to do. He thought for a while, and tried to settle his emotions. Finally, he decided. “There must be a logical explanation,” he said. “I have to ask him about this,” he said before he dressed up hastily and left the room in search of Kakashi.

Meanwhile, Kakashi was in a dimly lit room, waiting for the clan leader. It was the same room where they first met the clan leader, and looking around, he noticed for the first time that there were doors leading to a balcony on the other side, the same with their rooms. There were also satin-covered pillows and gold-colored ropes hanging from the ceiling at the place where the clan leader sat previously. It was like a throne, and the said throne was still empty, much to Kakashi’s annoyance. ‘Damn it, I could still be with Iruka right now. I thought the clan leader was the one who needed to talk to me.’ he thought. Then, as if answering Kakashi’s thoughts, the clan leader arrived with a couple of servant girls in tow. Kakashi was alarmed to see them carrying the scroll inside the room. ‘Is something wrong with it?’ Kakashi thought.

“Good evening, how are you enjoying your stay?” the clan leader asked.

“Well enough,” Kakashi replied. “What is it that you want to talk to me about? I’m positive we got the right scroll.”

“Oh yes, yes you did, and we are very thankful for your services,” the clan leader replied. Kakashi’s narrowed his eyes. Something was off. He couldn’t have been brought here, alone, if only to thank him for a job well done. “In fact, we are very grateful you’ve made the job a whole lot easier for us,” the old man said, and in that instant Kakashi’s instincts kicked in and he stood in alarm when the leader took the scroll into his hands.

“What job would that be?” Kakashi asked. If it was just the old man and the two servants, he could take them on, no problem. Iruka and the others were nearby as well.
“Why, finally putting an end to our rival clan, of course,” he said.

It was at that time that Iruka walked in the room with a confused expression on his face. He heard what the leader said, and he sensed something fishy was going on as well, if Kakashi’s elevated chakra was any indication. “What do you mean?” Iruka asked.

“Oh so glad you could join us,” the old man greeted in false amiability. “Very interesting thing, this scroll,” he began, turning the scroll over in his hands. “Our clan has been trying to steal this for a long time now, and thanks to you, we now have the Platino clan treasure in our hands.”

“What?!” Iruka blurted out, unable to hide his surprise. “Kakashi-sensei!” He called out and looked at Kakashi in alarm and was surprised that he looked calm and composed despite his flaring chakra.

“You’ve been trying to steal it for a long time? Boy, your guys sure are weak. We could’ve done it with blindfolds, with our hands and feet bound, and with a rabid dog tied to our neck,” Kakashi answered, and it visibly irked the old man.

“I don’t think you are in any position to be so cocky,” the clan leader said through gritted teeth.

“Oh I think I can. We stole the treasure from the real owners, and we can take it back just as easily,” Kakashi said.

“Is that so? I’m sorry to shatter your illusions, but I’m afraid there’d be no taking the treasure back. In fact, I don’t think any one of you could ever set foot out of this house alive,” the leader threatened.

“You don’t seem to realize it, but you made a grave mistake when you chose to hire us. No one gets away with tricking Konoha shinobis,” Kakashi said.

“Kakashi-sensei! We should warn Genma-san and Yuiko-san!” Iruka interjected. His heart was pounding so hard; he can’t help but worry about their comrades.

“Your companions? I’m afraid they’re preoccupied as of now. Despite what you think, we DO have skilled fighters in our ranks,” he said, and as if to prove his point, loud noises sounded through the house, like that of breaking glass and of a body being violently thrown to the wall.

“Don’t worry about them, Iruka,” Kakashi said in an attempt to keep Iruka calm. “They can hold their own.”

“I wouldn’t worry about them right now. You see---“
“You’re starting to piss me off, old man,” Kakashi said, and this time there was no jesting in his voice. “Just get on with whatever you’re planning. We all know it’s not gonna work.”

The old man was fuming now. “You want to die so badly? Then I shall grant your wish. Tell me, oh dear ninjas of Konoha…” he said as he peeled the first few inches of the scroll, “…what is it you fear the most?” he asked, and in one swift movement, he unfurled the scroll and the room was filled with bright light.

“That’s impossible!” Iruka exclaimed. ‘They couldn’t have broken the seal so quickly. Unless, they lied about that too,’ he thought. For a moment, the light blinded Iruka and he did not know what to do. What if they HAD broken the seal, and they were now trapped in an inescapable illusion? ‘It doesn’t matter!’ Iruka thought, ‘I’ve lived in fear all my life, there’s nothing this illusion can show me that will scare me as much,’ he thought.

Seeing the bright light from outside, Yuiko and Genma ran towards the room, having disposed of their opponents. When they reached the room, they could not see anything but white everywhere.

Once the light subsided, the four ninjas were surrounded by guards- and not the ones that can go down with one hit.

“Come, let me show you the meaning of fear!” the old man said.

“Not a chance,” Kakashi scoffed, and in the blink of an eye, he was in front of the clan leader, holding a kunai to his throat. “Now just hand over that scroll and we’ll be going on our way,” he said, his voice low and menacing. The copy-nin was all business now.

For a moment, the clan leader was visibly shaken, but he composed himself. “You think you can kill me with your parlor tricks?” he asked, and with that, the servant girls standing on either side of him whipped out scythes and slashed at Kakashi, taking the ninja by surprise. Kakashi leapt backwards and before his feet even touched the ground, Iruka dashed toward the clan leader. He lunged forward, narrowly escaping two scythes that sliced through the air. The chuunin knocked one girl away with a roundhouse kick and the other with a lunge punch before he reached his hand out to grab the scroll.

Everything happened in mere seconds. Iruka’s fingertips had barely touched the scroll, and Kakashi’s feet had just touched ground when pandemonium erupted in a blur of punches and kicks, blows and strikes enough to fracture bones and send bodies flying everywhere.

The guards came at the four ninjas from every direction. Iruka withdrew his hand immediately when a guard dared to kick him from behind. He whipped around and caught the man’s foot in one hand, twisted it in an uncomfortable angle, and flung the man towards another couple of guards on the attack. The chuunin blocked a punch to his face with his arm and knocked a knife out of a guard’s hand with his other elbow.

On any other time, the sickening sounds of breaking bones and tearing flesh would have made Iruka flinch, but he was busy dodging blows and sharp objects to really be worried about anything else. In a split second, he saw a glimpse of silver hair as it disappeared behind the numerous guards before said guards were sent flying to the opposite wall hard enough to crack concrete and human sculls.

As Iruka defended himself against the guards, he stole quick glances at his comrades just to see how they were faring. The guards were by no means more skilled then any one of them. Simple ninjutsu could take them out, but their sheer number worked well to their favor. Iruka was worried about his companions. He couldn’t help it.

His eyes quickly scanned the scene. He already saw Kakashi and those poor souls who dared to attack him. He now looked for the other two, and found Genma on the other side of the room hauling two men up by their collars and throwing them against the surrounding guards. And near him was Yuiko, and for a moment Iruka was worried about their only female team member. However, as soon as he saw Yuiko knee a guard in the crotch so violently that it could send shivers down any man’s spine, Iruka was convinced he had nothing to worry about but his own hide.

Iruka caught a man’s arm and threw him over his shoulder where he landed right in front of the clan leader. He looked at the old man’s face and found him looking on safely and smiling. ‘What the heck is he smirking for?’ Iruka thought. Sure enough, his guards were losing. Their numbers were dwindling and all four Konoha shinobis were far from exhausted.

Then a scythe swooshed right in front of his face, missing him by a mere inch as he leaned backwards. He almost forgot about those pesky girls and their scythes. He leapt backwards as the servant girls focused their attentions on him once more. They were skilled, probably more so than almost all the guards in the room, and before Iruka knew it, his back met the cold wall that separated the room from the balcony outside. He was cornered. The girls struck again simultaneously and Iruka just barely dodged them. Both servants raised their scythes once more, ready to strike, but was knocked to the side by a guard’s lifeless body thrown at them purposefully.

Iruka looked at the direction where the unexpected help came from, and saw Kakashi giving him a wave. “You needed a hand,” Kakashi managed to call out to Iruka even as he was fighting off several rather feisty guards. Iruka managed to smile a little as he began exchanging blows with guards, as the scythe-wielders were currently incapacitated.

Within moments, every guard left standing was dealt with. The floor was lined with bodies of nameless guards, either unconscious or dead.

“Give up, old man,” Kakashi said, throwing the listless body of a guard to the side. “These were just a bunch of lowlifes who can’t even fight. Too bad your illusion didn’t work.”

“Oh? I won’t be too sure of that,” the clan leader said with an ominous grin. Just then, the servant girls stood up somewhat shakily from where they were thrown. One of the girls walked to the old man’s side. “You must have noticed, this whole house is built on top of a cliff,” He said before he snapped his fingers, and the servant beside him pulled one of the ropes hanging from the ceiling. There was a huge explosion from the balcony and Kakashi was horrified when he realized the explosion had been fatally near where Iruka stood.

In that split second, Kakashi’s head whipped to the side, and he saw Iruka being thrown off his feet, the floor below him crumbling into pieces and falling to the river below.

Iruka could have easily regained his balance, or teleported himself to a part of the room that was still in tact had it not been for one of the servants who decided to attack him just as the explosion occurred. Everything happened within a fraction of a second that there was no way for Iruka to dodge the girl’s attack. The scythe ripped through vest, shirt, and flesh, and Iruka was sent flying out of the gaping hole made by the blast. Kakashi felt like his heart would stop when he realized Iruka was falling… falling down to the raging river.

He saw it so clearly, every detail, the splash of blood, the glint of the blade, even the look of horror on Iruka’s face, the look of a man facing certain death. It was like everything was happening in agonizingly slow motion.

Kakashi screamed Iruka’s name.

~.~.~.~.~

As Iruka fell towards the river, he thought with some detachment, ‘So this is how I’m going to die.’ Then he heard Kakashi call out his name, and before he realized it, his eyes had watered and tears spilled from his eyes and floated upwards like stars twinkling in the black night.

And just before the torrid waters swallowed him up, for a brief moment, he saw an image that he thought was just conjured up by his imagination…of Kakashi jumping out after him, silver hair fluttering wildly in the wind, and a hand oustreched as if reaching for him. Like a savior in a fairytale.

‘It would have been nice,’ he thought with a small smile, before he hit the water and the horrendous force engulfed him in darkness. A cold darkness he might never wake up from.

TBC.

AN

Just a little note. Chapters here MAY vary slightly from ff.net chapters. One more chapter to go before the new chapter comes out. Please bear with me.

Till next time!

SD