No Revenge Is As Complete As Forgiveness

A/N: Oh, wow, for once I am pleased with the way a chapter came out.



CHAPTER 8





Sasuke did, in fact, keep the bottle of sake that Kakashi had brought a week ago, and he informed him so then went to retrieve it and pour the three of them a cup. Kakashi reached and pulled down his mask, an action that would’ve had him staring if it had happened three years ago, but now he just a cast curious glance at his former Sensei’s handsome face and busied himself with serving.



“Aren’t you on duty?” he asked with mild disinterest when Kakashi took the delicate porcelain cup in his hand.



“It’s Sunday, Sasuke. Today, actually, I am not on duty.”



“I thought that Jounin were on duty 247.” Itachi said, cradling the small cup in his hands.



“They are. I retired a few months ago, to be able to devote my entire attention to being Naruto’s assistant.”



“Your Mangekyou is causing problems, isn’t it?” Itachi continued and took a small sip.



The temperature in the room seemed to drop at least ten degrees. Kakashi stared in his cup as if it would yield the answers to life and the universe to him, Sasuke stared at him in shock and Itachi sipped again.



“You have a Mangekyou Sharingan?!” the younger Uchiha exclaimed, dismayed. “How? When? Wha-“



“Yes, Sasuke, I do.” Kakashi answered frostily, then drank the contents of the cup and offered it for more. Sasuke poured. “And it’s none of your business how.”



“I haven’t heard of you killing anyone close to you…”



“Sasuke!” Itachi chided, and surprisingly, the young man quieted down. “These are very personal questions to ask. Besides, one doesn’t have to actively kill someone they loved to obtain the Mangekyou. Feeling responsible for their death, even if it was a secondary consequence of their actions is enough. Isn’t that what happened to you, when you believed that I was dead?”



“Yes.” Sasuke said softly. “Only now that I know that you’re alive, I can’t seem to activate it.”



“Maybe it’s for the best, Sasuke.” Kakashi said and took another sip, looking calmer now.



“What brother said… your health is failing, isn’t it?”



Kakashi wasn’t the kind of man who liked to admit weakness. But considering the compromising position he had found them in, and the trust they had in him to keep their secret convinced him to share his own with them.



“I have almost lost vision in the borrowed eye.” He admitted. “And…the good doctor said that because it wasn’t mine to begin with, the damage to all of my systems is even greater.” He sipped angrily.



“Is your life…” Itachi began and trailed off, too worried to continue.



“No. Not yet, anyway. Not if I stay home and stop going to missions all the time.”



Suddenly Sasuke reached and covered his hand with his, then squeezed gently, saying nothing, only offering silent support. Kakashi had been there for them, for the both of them, when they came here, when everyone else would rather shun them, kill them even. It was time to show that he wasn’t an ungrateful brat, regardless of what people thought of him.



“Why don’t you stay for dinner?” he offered.



“I really should go home…” Kakashi began.



“Why?” Asked Itachi and then flushed at his apparent presumption that no one waited for Kakashi at home.



Kakashi’s jaw worked and he began to blush.



“Naruto and I live together.” He admitted and that had both Uchihas gawping like stranded fish. Itachi regained his composure first.



“You do?”



“Er… yes.” Kakashi muttered.



Finally, Sasuke closed his mouth with an audible click and said:



“Well, the blockhead can spare you for one evening. You are staying for dinner and if he doesn’t like it, he can come over and have some too.” And with that he got up and headed for the kitchen. Kakashi stared after him.



“Bossy, isn’t he?” Itachi said with a soft smile.



“I was left with the impression that you like it.”



Itachi cleared his throat.



“I thought you said we… our relationship doesn’t bother you.” He whispered, looking uncertain.



“It doesn’t. I was just saying.” Kakashi hurried to reassure him. “There’s nothing wrong with submission, Itachi.” He grinned “I can tell that from a personal experience.”



Itachi snickered.



“Oh, the mental images.”



They both laughed together at that. The sake was catching onto them.



Itachi grew serious again.



“It is my fault, isn’t it?” he asked, fingers tightening around the cup.



“Hmm?”



“About your Mangekyou. You developed it because of me. Because of what I did to you.”



“No. Itachi, listen. We do what we have to do, in order to protect all that is precious to us, and that holds true for the both of us. I don’t blame you for whatever my Sharingan does to me. In fact, if you think that you are responsible for me developing the Mangekyou, I should be thanking you.”



“I don’t understand.”



“The Mangekyou gave me the means to help Naruto win the war against Danzo. It helped me keep him safe, it helped me keep many people safe. And now it basically forced me to settle down. To find a family again. Do you think that my relationship with Naruto would’ve lasted if I had to go on missions all the time and Naruto stayed behind in his office, worried sick about me? Why do you think things between Jiraiya-sama and the Tsunade-sama never worked out?”



“Oh.”



“See? Now, stop worrying that pretty head of your about these things.” He patted his shoulder. “And maybe we should stop drinking now, or we’ll be too drunk to hold down whatever concoctions Sasuke produces in the kitchen.”



“My brother cooks well, you know.”



“Yes, I noticed that you’re beginning to develop love handles. I am sure Sasuke appreciates them.”



Itachi growled and poked him in the ribs with unexpected accuracy.



“I am perfectly fit, old man.”



Kakashi snickered and settled back to wait for dinner.



The dinner itself was quite a nice affair, the three of them talking animatedly between each other. It was a fresh breath of normalcy for the Uchihas, after so many years of misery and fear and pain, and it was pleasant for Kakahi to be able to reconnect with his former student and his former colleague. Sasuke proved Itachi right by actually cooking well, if a little salty, much to Kakashi’s surprise.



By the time they practically sprawled around the low table it was already dark outside.



Kakashi patted his full stomach:



“I admit, Sasuke, you know how to feed a person.”



“I lived and travelled with a guy the size of Hoshigaki Kisame and another constantly hungry and thirsty Mist Nin. We took turns to cook for the group when we settled in a camp, so I kind of learned.”



“Mmm. And what about that red-headed girl that travelled with you… Karin, was it?”



“Yes. Oh, she was constantly on a diet.”



Kakashi stretched and thought about Sakura dieting, which did happen from time to time, back when he actually went on missions with her and others. Yes, he knew what Sasuke meant.



They settled in a comfortable, well fed silence for a little while before Sasuke spoke again:



“Itachi and I meant to ask you, when you next came here…” he swallowed, obviously a little nervous.



“Spill it, Sasuke, whatever it is.” Kakashi prompted. “I am digesting at the moment. Whatever you say can’t rile me up enough to get up.”



“If you or Naruto could find a job for us.” Itachi finished for his brother.



Kakashi blinked and turned to look at them.



“We’re constantly cooped up in here, Kakashi, waiting on your charity. It cannot continue like this.” Sasuke explained patiently.



He was right, of course, and Kakashi knew it. Finally, he said:



“I’ll talk to Naruto about it. See what we can think of. Don’t expect anything fancy though.”



“I don’t. At the moment, I’d do any job, as long as it brings me my own income and a little bit of independency with it.”



“Very well.”



Kakashi stretched and slowly got up back to his feet. He was a little tipsy still, but not nearly drunk.



“I should be going home now. Naruto expected me hours ago.” He turned and poked Sasuke with his bare toes. “Come on. Be a gracious host and walk your guest out.”



Sasuke grumbled and got up, then walked to the window Kakashi had come through earlier that day to retrieve the Jounin’s shoes from the flowerbed.



“Let’s go, oh, honorable guest.” He told him.



As they walked through the abandoned streets towards the exit of the compound, Sasuke turned to him:



“I am not abusing him, you know.”



Kakashi just looked at him curiously.



“Itachi.” Sasuke clarified. “I know what you must be thinking.”



“I know, Sasuke. I already asked your brother.”



“You did?”



“Of course.”



“Oh, I see.”



“He is, however, very dependent on you. Under any other circumstances, I would have felt quite unhappy about it, but it seems that he likes it. See that you don’t take advantage of that.”



“I won’t.”



“That’s good to hear.”



“What we said about Nagato…” Sasuke began, in order to change the subject. “It was true. All of it. Give him a chance, Kakashi, like you did with me. My crimes were worse than his, and yet look how you treat me.”



Kakashi sighed.



“I know you, Sasuke. However, I’ve known you for a long time. The only thing I know of him is that he destroyed Konoha.” He explained bitterly.



“I wanted to do that too, for a while, you know. Grief can consume a person to the point of insanity. Only, I doubt I would’ve been able to give back the life of all those whom I killed.”



Kakashi smiled.



“Alright, alright. Point taken.”



They reached the gates.



“I’ll talk about your jobs to Naruto tomorrow morning. Go back to your brother now.”



“Goodnight, Kakashi.”



“Goodnight, Sasuke.”







When Kakashi finally returned to the small house he shared with Naruto, he felt a third, vaguely familiar presence inside. There was no aggression emanating from it, no killing intent, in fact, the presence seemed to be slumbering, and that relieved him a little. Still, he unlocked the door and quietly slipped in, all of his honed senses alert for any danger or attack. He proceeded through the corridor and silently entered the living-room… and there he was, the source of all of his worries for the past two days, sleeping quietly on their sofa, curled up under a light blanket. The moonlight illuminated his vibrant red hair, and while it glinted off the numerous metal piercings, it left most of his face hidden in shadow.



“What are you doing here?” he said sharply and loudly and the figure on the sofa jerked in his sleep, pushing himself up and rapidly blinking up at him, trying to wake up.



“Naruto invited me to stay for the night…” he said automatically and Kakashi felt like throttling him. He probably would have tried to if Naruto hadn’t barreled down from the bedroom.



“Kakashi. How nice of you to finally come back home. Come to bed, you must be tired.” The blonde demanded.



“I am not tired anymore.” He said stubbornly. “You expect me to sleep when he’s here? Why is he here, for that matter?” he demanded to know. He felt like stomping his leg on the floor.



Nagato said nothing, just sat quietly and looked like he wanted to disappear into thin air.



“He’s here because I invited him to dinner and it became too late to make him go back to his rooms.” Naruto explained icily. “Now, come to bed. We’ll put up wards if you’re so worried.”



The authoritative tone left no room for arguing and Kakashi followed him into the bedroom, casting their “guest” a dirty look as he passed by him.



When the door closed after them and he was sufficiently satisfied by the wards erected, he rounded on Naruto.



“How can you trust him enough to stay here?” he exclaimed angrily, all thoughts of giving the man a chance completely forgotten.



“I am trying to build a working relationship with him, to get to know him, something which you would have to do too, if we want this to work out.” Naruto ground out and sat down on the bed.



“And that involves him sleeping under our roof? He killed your Sensei, for goodness’ sake!”



“ Keep your voice down. Itachi killed Sasuke’s parents and he’s sleeping under Sasuke’s roof! Permanently, too!”



Kakashi’s jaw worked.



“This is different.”



“You said that things between them are settling down.” Naruto pointed out. “That Sasuke has begun to forgive him.”



Things between them had more than settled down, but Kakashi had promised not to tell Naruto about the new development, so he just sat down with a sigh on the edge of the bed.



“I spoke with them today.” He said much more calmly. “They said that I should give him a chance.”



“Sound advice, especially considering that it’s coming from Sasuke.” Naruto muttered with a grin and scooted closer to him, wrapping an arm around his shoulders. “Now, why don’t you try to relax and let me take care of you tonight…”



Kakashi shook his head and slid down to his knees on the carpeted floor.



“Kakashi?”



“Shush.”



He settled between Naruto’s spread thighs and reached for the drawstring of his pajama pants, loosening it and pulling the garment, along with his underwear, down. Naruto was still flaccid when he uncovered him, but that didn’t last for long when he wrapped his nimble fingers around the silken length and began to stroke with sure, experienced movements. It hardened rapidly under his grip and he leaned forward to mouth the head, moaning at the familiar taste and texture of the flesh on his questing tongue, swirling it over the already leaking slit before leaning forward again and taking in as much as he could, relaxing his muscles and suppressing his gag reflex when the length hit the back of his throat.



Naruto gasped and groaned when his lover’s nose pressed against the soft flesh of his lower abdomen and his hands tangled in the wild silver hair, petting and caressing it lovingly as Kakashi swallowed around the invading organ, his throat muscles constricting and milking him in the most delicious way possible.



“Kakashi, Kakashi, what are you doing?” he asked breathlessly, but the Jounin ignored him and began to bob up and down, his eyes closed, hungry mouth slurping around his heated erection, strong hands clutching his thighs. He was almost ready to come when Kakashi finally pulled back and looked up to him from his kneeling position.



“Getting you ready to give me what I want.” He explained lightly, then got up and crawled on the bed, quickly divesting himself of his clothes and turning to his hands and knees, presenting him with his bare bottom, thrust up in the air like an offering. He had been thinking about it all day, ever since he saw Itachi in the afternoon in the same wanton pose, eagerly accepting his brother’s cock. His breathing quickened at the thought of Naruto doing the same to him.



“Don’t hold back.” He begged breathlessly. “Please. Don’t hold back.”



Naruto had no idea whatsoever what brought on this unexpected luck, but he knew better than questioning it. Smirking, he crawled up to Kakashi and paused only to rummage through the bedside drawer for the lube and after applying a generous amount around his erection and hastily slid two slicked fingers in Kakashi, he plunged in. His lover cried out at the sudden invasion and for a moment he got worried that he hurt him, but the Jounin raised his hips even more and pressed back against cock, impaling himself even further.



“Please, please…” he moaned and Naruto had to grab his mouth, press the palm of his hand against it, unwilling to have their guest overhear everything that happened in the bedroom.



“Don’t worry. I’ll give it to you.” He growled.



Whatever wards the pair had put on their door before going to bed, a silencing one obviously wasn’t one of them, Nagato thought as he listened to the sounds coming through from behind the door.



The bed was creaking quite loudly in pace with someone’s rapid, almost animalistic thrusting, he could hear Naruto’s growls and hisses, interspersed with quieter, muffled mewls and moans which could only come from the Jounin. He wasn’t all that surprised at the dynamics of their relationship – despite Naruto’s relative youth, he seemed like the kind of person who demanded control and achieved it with surprising ease, a trait he shared with Yahiko.



The memory of his friend, combined with the sounds coming through the closed door made him cover his face with his hands and groan with frustration. Yahiko had been his one sexual experience – at least, his one consensual sexual experience – and remembering him under these circumstances was almost torturous. He hadn’t been with anyone for a very long time. In fact, the last time since he lay with another person was just before that disastrous meeting with Hanzo, so many years ago, when Yahiko bent him over bathroom sink in their safe house and had his way with him, to relieve the tension they both felt before the meeting.



Afterwards, when he became the prisoner of a weak, pained and mutilated body he had little incentive to think about sex, let alone be physically capable of achieving any sort of viable erection, and the puppet bodies, for all their purposes, no longer functioned as human beings, so he couldn’t even experience that sort of pleasure by proxy. He had accepted that as one of the sacrifices he had to make for his dream, for Yahiko’s dream, and hadn’t given it a second thought for many years. Now though, once again inhabiting a living, breathing body, reminded him of all that he had missed, and while he had long rediscovered the joys of masturbation, it couldn’t be compared with having another to touch you and pleasure you like that. Listening to those two sharing such intimacy was downright cruel.



Finally, the cries behind the door reached their fever pitch, the creaking of the bed seizing and there was silence once more. Nagato exhaled the breath he hadn’t realized he was holding and closed his eyes. He reached down and squeezed himself cruelly through his borrowed pajama pants. As much as he wanted to relieve himself, he knew that neither Kakashi, nor Naruto would appreciate him staining the sofa or the clothes he’d been given. Miserably, he tried to will his arousal away and go back to sleep.