Into the Fire

Chapter Ninety-One

Ibiki hummed happily as he hunted through the refrigerator, quickly assembling an array of leftovers. He put the soup on to heat and stuck the chicken in the microwave before grabbing a blank piece of paper and scribbling a quick note. “Anybody here?” he called softly.

“I am.” Bull rumbled, “What do you need?”

“Could one of you take a message to Hyuuga Hiashi for me?” the interrogator asked eagerly.

“Is it important?” the massive hound wanted to know, “I'm kind of tired.”

“Well, I have an idea for a surprise for 'kashi . . . but I need the council's help. I think Hiashi is most likely to be sympathetic.” the scarred man explained, “I guess it could wait until tomorrow.”

“If it's for the boss I'm sure I can get Tomodachi to take it.” Bull replied after a moment's thought, “I'd do it myself, but I need to be here in case the pups get dropped off.”

“What is it with you and babies anyway?” Ibiki asked pointedly, “They're small, loud and smelly, they can't tell you what they need, they can't do anything for themselves, I just don't understand.”

“I may look like a dog, that doesn't mean I think like one.” the ninken scoffed, “I'm a protective demon in dog form . . . what needs protecting more than a helpless infant? Babies bring out my instincts.” he finished with a doggie shrug.

“What about the rest of the pack?” the scarred man pressed, “They don't seem too interested.”

“Each of us has different strengths.” Bull explained, “Pakkun is a great communicator, Tomodachi is empathetic, I'm the protector . . . it wouldn't be efficient if we were all good at the same things.”

“Makes sense, I guess.”, Ibiki mused, “I never really thought about pack dynamics before.”

“Of course not, you're not pack.” the hound declared with a shrug, “Boss is, he could explain it better than I can.”

“I know enough.” the interrogator decided, “Could you call 'dachi for me?” he continued as he pulled the containers out of the microwave and ladled soup into bowls, “'kashi's worn out . . . I need to take care of him.”

“Of course.” Bull assented, briefly disappearing and then reappearing with his pack mate in tow.

“Can you take this to Hyuuga Hiashi and wait for his reply?” Ibiki asked respectfully as he showed the slender ninken the note.

“Sure, I guess so . . . it's for the boss, right?” Tomodachi asked hesitantly.

“It's about a surprise for him . . . a nice one.” the scarred man qualified, “So it's for him, but he doesn't know about it.”

“That sounds like it would be okay.” the hound decided, daintily picking up the folded paper and bounding out into the night.

“Wake up sweetheart.” the interrogator murmured as he gently shook a bony shoulder, “You need to eat after such a busy day.”

“I'm too tired to . . .” the copy-nin began, trailing off when the scent of food reached his sensitive nose. “You cooked?” he asked incredulously.

“I heated.” Ibiki admitted, “Since I couldn't ask you what you wanted, I thought this way you could pick and choose.”

“Thank you.” the silver-haired man exclaimed as he pulled the tall man down for a lingering kiss, “You're very good to me.”

“You've had a very busy day . . . you opened for business, watched the twins, sparred . . . and had your first orgasm in way too long,” Ibiki added with a leer, “. . . I think you've earned a little pampering.” The corners of the scarred man's lips lifted into a wide, delighted smile as he continued, “Besides, I enjoy fussing over you.”

“You know that doesn't make sense.” Kakashi replied seriously, “I know what you do all day . . . the last thing you need is more pressure.”

“There is nothing in this world I'd rather do than take care of you.” Ibiki snapped, not wanting any connection between his duties and their relationship, “Just because my job requires me to act like a bastard, doesn't mean I am one.”

“That's not what I meant.” the copy-nin clarified, “I don't think you're a bastard. What I meant was . . . it's not easy to get inside people's heads and figure out what makes them tick. I think it takes more out of you than you realize, and having to coddle me is just another stressor in an already hard life.”

“Coddling you, as you put it,” the interrogator explained, “is the most normal . . . most necessary, part of my day. I didn't realize just how cut off from everyone and everything I really was . . . I mean I knew it, but I didn't feel it, if you know what I mean.” Ibiki continued warily, relaxing minutely when the jounin nodded in agreement, “Now that I've let you into my life I don't feel numb anymore. It actually makes doing my job easier, because now I have someone to protect.”

“It's not that different for me.” the silver haired man declared as he twined his fingers with his larger lover's, “I trusted you on some instinctual level long before I knew you . . . I wanted to talk to you years ago, after you were released from Rock . . . but I didn't think someone so brave would want to spend time with a whore like me.” he concluded softly. “I know I haven't done a good job of showing it, I'm not good with words, but you are special to me . . . you are the one I chose.”

“I don't understand sweetheart.” the interrogator replied, confusion apparent on his face, “Chose for what?”

“Chose to share myself with . . . just because I wanted it, just for pleasure.” Kakashi clarified with a brilliant blush, “No duty, no deals, no ulterior motives, just because I wished to . . . do you know how life-changing that is for someone like me?”

“I can't have been the first person you slept with willingly.” a shell-shocked Ibiki retorted, “You were thirty-five, for gods sake . . .”

“Before Sandaime I was too young, afterward . . . well, let's just say it never even crossed my mind.” the silver-haired man's blush deepened as he added, “I never even masturbated. I just didn't make the connection between sex and pleasure until a few hours before you pulled me out of Grass . . . I think I probably would have killed myself after that if not for you.” The copy-nin pinned his lover with a sharp eye, making sure he had his complete attention before continuing, “I never wanted to leave you . . . I did not choose to go to Sound. Once there, though, I stayed when I could have escaped. I know that hurt you and I'm not sure how to make up for it. Orochimaru and I were very alike in many ways . . . he chose me as I chose you. I honestly can't explain why someone makes you feel you can trust them like that. I betrayed his trust and it resulted in his death. I couldn't leave after that . . . I owed it to him to stay until the end.”

“Sweetheart you don't owe me an explanation.” the interrogator insisted, “It's late, you're tired. Just eat something and get some sleep.”

“No.” Kakashi insisted stubbornly, “I need to do this. When I left the second time I went back to Sound to visit Itachi, but he had arranged for Gaara to offer me sanctuary. I chose to whore myself to the Kazekage in exchange for protection.” he continued stoically, “It was the best solution at the time and I was willing . . . but I never agreed to anything permanent. I made it very clear that my intention was always to come back to you . . . if you'd still have me, that is. I'm just afraid that you haven't really taken any of this into consideration. I don't want you to just give me a pass because of what happened to me in Suna.”

“I'll admit I've been horribly jealous at times.” the scarred man answered slowly, grasping the younger man's chin in his hand to prevent him from looking away, “But I've never, ever, had any second thoughts about what I wanted. I want you 'kashi, just you, good and bad. You've done your best . . . so much better than anyone could have imagined . . . and the past is not worth worrying about.” He quirked a small smile and changed the subject, “Now that that's out of your system do you think we could eat?”

“Of course.” Kakashi responded brightly, patting the bed next to him, “Get comfy and we'll have a bed picnic.”

Several hours later Ibiki disentangled himself from the slumbering copy-nin and slipped out of the messy bed, snagging the tray to drop in the kitchen as he went to hunt for Tomodachi.

“'dachi, are you here?” he called softly as he scraped the dishes and piled them in the sink.

“It's on the table.” Bull rumbled from beside the fridge, “She went back to the pack.”

The interrogator snatched up the scroll, tension evident as he quickly scanned its contents, relaxing when he realized that both Hyuuga Hiashi and Aburame Shibi would back his proposal. Asuma is sure to agree, he owes 'kashi for the twins, the tall man decided idly, Iruka is a shoe-in as well . . . who does that leave and what do I have on them?