AN: A bit long for a drabble, but not quite a one-shot. KakaIru, angsty fluff. Yes, angsty fluff. 600 words.
Disclaimer: They're not mine. Neither is Wish You Were Here, from Pink Floyd. (as a side note, I was listening to the Rasputina cover of it while writing this, which is, in my opinion, better. Or at least prettier.)
So, so you think you can tell...
Tired, cold, bleeding. By now, you're used to it. Being a ninja and all, you don't have luxuries, you don't even have the luxury of your own life. Your fatigue numbs the cold, the cold numbs the bleeding, and the only thing keeping you awake are thoughts of home and thoughts of him. You could fall asleep standing up, that's how tired you are. A week long mission to the Sand Village will wear a man out, even one as strong as yourself, and your not embarrassed to admit it. But if you fall asleep, you'll probably die. Bleed to death, freeze to death, maybe your mind just wont have enough strength to wake up again. It doesn't matter the reason, you just wont stand back up after you fall.
So you keep walking. You'll make it back to the village eventually, and you'll head straight to the Hokage's office (for once). You'll hand in your mission report (yes, you somehow managed to write up a ten page long report on the military status of the Sand village. Of course, that was before they attacked you.), someone will notice your wounds, and they'll rush you to the hospital to be taken care of. If your lucky, it'll be Iruka, and you hope to god that you've earned at least that much good karma from all of this.
Because if it's Iruka that rushes to your side, you can at least die happy. And quite frankly, you're not so sure that you'll make it through this one. Yeah, the great copy ninja's been worked to the brink of death, and for once you might not find your way back. But you promised him you'd come home, and you'll keep that promise, even if it kills you. Which it might. But you'll die anyway if you stop now, so it doesn't really matter. You just want to see him one last time.
And there are the gates. You trudge through, head low, feet dragging. You're not even sure if you'll be able to make it to the Hokage's office, at this rate. And won't that be a shame. You managed to travel ten miles half dead and now that your home you can't go far enough to tell anyone. But luck's on your side, it would seem (kind of), because as your worn out mind gets the better of you, and you wobble slowly on your feet, as the world starts to spin and you start to fall, someone catches you. You can hear a little gasp of surprise, or horror, or something from them as you fade out of consciousness and into the bleak world of your dreams.
You open your eyes, which surprises you. You didn't think you'd have that pleasure again. You open your eyes to sunlight and warmth, and to hands. They're wiping your forehead with a cold washcloth, and for once the cold feels nice and tingly. And then they're running through your hair and down your face, and cupping your cheeks and thumbs are running over your lips and caressing you and it feels nicer than anything you've felt in sometime.
You let your eyes adjust to the light before glancing up at the owner of those hands, and give a cheeky, if somewhat forced, grin. He smiles back at you, with relief and happiness and even more warmth than the sunlight across your bed. You're with Iruka, you're home. The vast majority of your life might be a nightmare, but when you compare it with times like these you'd be vain to imagine that you can honestly tell the difference between Heaven and Hell. Because Iruka has that odd habit off pushing you over that very fine line between the two, and you really couldn't careless.
We're just two lost souls swimming in a fish bowl
year after year...
AN: Review please? Pretty please?